Ace of Hearts
by smile1
Summary: RJ! !DONE! Sequel to: I guess, you say. Jess moves back to Stars Hollow and Rory spends her summer break there. It's not that easy to become close again, cause there's Billy, Dean's wedding, Rachel and of course D-E-N-I-A-L! PLZ REVIEW! ENJOY! :-)
1. 3 times' the charm or else u strike out

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for........the sequel is up! Finally you'll find out if Rory and Jess will continue their friendship or maybe become even more. This plot might have already been used, but I promise that I'll try to make it as original as possible. I have a few surprises up my sleeve and I'll pay extra attention to the lives of other characters. I have worked really hard on this story, so please tell me what you think of the first chapter. Is there some hope for it ? Thanks. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
It was a beautiful summer day, graced with a pure, cloudless sky and the sweet lingering smell of flowers, when Jess Mariano stepped off the bus and into the crazy and chaotic, little town of Stars Hollow. As he threw a quick glance around the town, he noticed that absolutely nothing had changed in the year he had spend in Venice. It had also been exactly one year since Rory came to visit him in Venice Beach. Even though they promised each other friendship, they didn't keep in contact. Partly because of their new friendship. They both new that it would be hard to remain friends, because of the history they had shared. Besides they had tried being friends and look where that had lead them. But he knew that he couldn't put all the blame on their history and new friendship.  
  
He knew that part of the reason, why they hadn't kept in contact, was his own fault. Part of it could be blamed on Jess' independence. After he left Stars Hollow, he decided to cut all the strings that had been attaching him to Stars Hollow. And yet he found himself back here. Things didn't work out with Jimmy. Sure he was a cool person, fun to hang with, but he hadn't exactly been the ideal father figure back when he left Jess and his mom and..........he still wasn't. Besides sometimes Jess felt like a complete stranger to him. Jimmy knew hardly anything about him and yet so much at the same time. But Jess wasn't sorry he went to Venice Beach. Cause in some ways it had been worth it. At least now he knew where he got his taste in music and that Jimmy was doing okay. He had started another life, with Sasha and her daughter Lily. Another reason why he felt like he didn't quite fit in there. They had their own family and even though Sasha told him over and over that there was enough room for him, he never really bought it. She was just being nice, but then again that was Sasha. And even though he had only known her for a year, she had already been a better mother to him than his real mom ever had been.  
  
After Rory left, he had started to miss Stars Hollow. Of course he had missed it before, though he was too stubborn to admit it, but when he saw Rory again, she brought a piece of Stars Hollow with her. Just like the breeze in Venice would always bring a part of the ocean with it. He had even missed Luke. Luke was the one who took the role of his father and gave him a place to live when his mom decided that she didn't want him anymore. And Luke was the one who had cared about his grades and other stuff that seemed unimportant to him at first. Until he met Rory........... She was so into family and school, but unfortunately for her and Luke, it didn't rub off on him. He didn't care about that stuff. But then again he never had to care before, cause there was no one to care about or to listen to as they gave him never ending speeches about his grades. But maybe that would change. Maybe he had changed. He was 18 now and he liked to think that he grew up, but old habits died hard.  
  
He saw the way people were looking at him, curious and mistrustful. He couldn't blame them. He wasn't the easiest person to deal with. Jess sighed as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, trying to avoid people's gazes. He was hoping for another chance. His third to be exact. He got his first when he just moved here from New York and his second came soon after, when he came back from New York..............for Rory. Did he come back for her this time ? He liked to believe he didn't, but in his heart he knew that she had been a big part of his decision to go back to Stars Hollow. He stepped on to the sidewalk and started to walk the familiar road to Luke's, the sun guiding his way.  
  
*~*~*  
  
As soon as Lorelai Gilmore pushed open the door of Luke's Diner, she loudly made her way over to the counter. Some people looked up and smiled, but most of them just continued eating their food. Lorelai dropped her new bag on the counter and sat down with a hopeful smile playing across her lips.  
  
L: ''Coffee please.''  
  
Luke turned around, baseball cap in place, and glared at her, not saying a word. Lorelai's smile turned into a pout as she pleadingly looked up at Luke.  
  
L: ''Please Luke ?''  
  
Luke: ''Give me a reason.''  
  
L: ''What ?''  
  
Luke: ''Give me one good reason why I should give you coffee ? Why should I let you pollute your body with it ?''  
  
L: ''Cause you love me ?''  
  
Lorelai sweetly smiled at him, but Luke just shook his head.  
  
L: ''Cause I have to drive the long road to Hartford to pick up Rory and drinking coffee before I drive is a must. Cause if I don't, I'll get dizzy and my vision will get blurry and before I'll know it I'll be lying in a hospital bed, next to the other guy you deprived of his coffee. You wouldn't want that, now would you ?''  
  
Luke sighed and poured her some coffee, still glaring at her with a disapproved look on his face. He handed her the cup.  
  
L: ''Don't look at me like that Luke. You can't save everyone. Besides I have been drinking coffee for years, so it's a little late to safe me.''  
  
Luke: ''Oh believe me, I know.''  
  
Lorelai ignored his last comment and took a sip of her coffee.  
  
Luke: ''So, Rory's spending summer break with you ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see her again. I really missed her.''  
  
Luke: ''How can you miss her when you call each other every day and see each other almost every weekend ?''  
  
L: ''Not every weekend. She spend four weekends at Christopher's.''  
  
Luke: ''To see Georgia ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, to see Georgia or GG as Sherry calls her. Maybe she's even going to give Rory a nickname, you know ? Like RR. GG and RR, though it doesn't really have a nice ring to it. Oh shoot !''  
  
Suddenly Lorelai jumped up.  
  
L: ''I've gotta pick up Rory. Can you get me some coffee to go ?''  
  
Luke: ''Yeah, sure.''  
  
Luke quickly poured Lorelai some coffee and when he handed it to her, she was looking at him suspiciously.  
  
L: ''What's with this ?''  
  
Luke: ''This ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, this.''  
  
Lorelai pointed at her cup of coffee.  
  
L: ''You just giving it to me without arguing or telling me how much caffeine it'll take to kill me ?''  
  
Luke: ''I though you had to pick up Rory ?''  
  
L: ''Fine, but don't ever do that again.''  
  
Luke: ''Why not ?''  
  
L: ''Cause it throws me off. Ever since I moved here, my days have been the same. I get up, get coffee, go to work, have dinner and coffee here, get a coffee to go and go home.''  
  
Luke: ''You're pathetic.''  
  
L: ''Says the man who wears plaid every day.''  
  
Lorelai shot Luke a look as she grabbed her bag.  
  
L: ''We'll drop by as soon as we're back.''  
  
Luke: ''You don't have to. I'm sure she wants to spend time with you and unpack.''  
  
L: ''She will be spending time with me. Besides I'm sure she can't wait to get her hands on a decent cup of coffee.''  
  
Luke rolled his eyes.  
  
L: ''Just kidding Luke. You're more than our coffee supplier, you know that. She will be thrilled to see you. After all you're our magical coffee angel.''  
  
Luke: ''Bye Lorelai.''  
  
L: ''Bye angel.''  
  
Lorelai smiled and headed for the door. She wanted to reach for the door, to open it, but before she could, it flew open.  
  
L: ''Luke ! You have a magical door. It opens when you think about opening it. All you have to do is add a fortune teller and you're all set. Or a.............''  
  
Lorelai stopped rambling as soon as she saw the person who obviously opened it.  
  
L: ''Jess............''  
  
J: ''Actually I'm a wizard. I come with the fortune teller.''  
  
Lorelai didn't say anything and just looked at him. The guy that found a way into her daughter's life with his sarcastic ways and reading obsession. At first Lorelai didn't like Jess, she never really hated him, cause he was Luke's nephew after all, but she wasn't exactly thrilled when Rory and Jess started to hang out occasionally. But as Jess and Rory became friends, he proved to Lorelai that he could be trusted around Rory and that he would never hurt her.......intentionally. He may not have hurt Rory purposely, but at a few occasions he had, but Rory was one of the most understanding and forgiving people in the world, so she forgave and forgot. But when Jess moved to Venice Beach, Rory didn't forget. She even went to visit him and Lorelai, playing the role of the understanding mom, had let her. And Rory came back happier, ready to move on with her life, but Lorelai knew that Jess was never forgotten. She hated Jess for that, but on the other hand, she admired Jess for that.  
  
L: ''Luke !''  
  
Luke: ''There's no spirit in the door Lorelai.''  
  
L: ''I think you should reconsider your comment ! I think it's evil.''  
  
She said the last four words loud enough for Jess to hear it, but they didn't have any affect on him. Jess was used to Lorelai's comments.  
  
Luke: ''What ?!''  
  
Finally Luke looked up from what he was doing and noticed Jess.  
  
Luke: ''Jess.........''  
  
J: ''Where's my welcome home party uncle Luke ?''  
  
Jess met Luke's gaze, amusement written in his eyes.  
  
Lorelai looked from Jess to Luke and decided that she should leave them alone to talk and figure things out.  
  
L: ''Luke, I've gotta go !''  
  
Lorelai walked past Jess and headed for her car, her coffee cold and forgotten in her hand.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Jess still stood by the door with his duffel bag over his shoulder, waiting for Luke to make the next move. It was like a baseball game. You had three chances to hit the ball, he had already missed the first two and now he was swinging his bat and kicking the dirt, waiting patiently for the pitcher, being Luke, to throw him the ball. The only question was, would he hit it and make a home run or would he miss and strike out ? Finally Luke took action. He asked for Ceaser to take over and headed for the stairs, not looking over his shoulder to see if Jess would follow him. Jess knew that Luke had just thrown the ball, now all he had to do was swing his bat. Jess nodded at Ceaser and followed Luke up the stairs.  
  
Luke was sitting at the small table, in the middle of the apartment, when Jess walked through the door. Jess didn't know what to say or how to explain the fact that he was here once again, asking for another chance. Jess closed the door behind him and dropped his duffel bag on the floor. He walked over to the table and sat down across from Luke, patiently waiting. Finally Luke looked at him, confusion visible in his eyes.  
  
Luke: ''Why are you here ?''  
  
J: ''I want another chance.''  
  
The words seemed unreal to Luke. He wanted another chance ? Luke threw a sceptic glance in Jess' direction. To his surprise, Jess seemed to be sincere in his statement. Luke sighed.  
  
Luke: ''Why ?''  
  
Jess shrugged, pretending to be carefree.  
  
J: ''Things didn't work out with Jimmy.''  
  
Luke shook his head.  
  
Luke: ''I should have known. Did he promise to take care of you ? Cause Jimmy was never good at keeping promises.''  
  
J: ''No, it isn't Jimmy's fault. He actually cleaned up pretty nice.''  
  
Luke searched Jess' eyes to see if he was lying, but there wasn't even a glimmer of untruth. Jess caught the disappointing that appeared on Luke's face like the shadow of a branch. And for a moment, the old Jess was trying to find his way up to the surface, ready to throw a remark Luke's way if he chose the wrong words. But Jess pushed this feeling aside. He knew that his sarcasm wouldn't be appreciated right now.  
  
Luke: ''I'm sure he did.''  
  
Jess sighed and ran his hands through his hair, wondering if he should be honest with Luke.  
  
J: ''Venice just didn't feel like home to me.''  
  
There he said it and it actually made Jess feel a little better by admitting it. Luke was surprised by Jess' comment, but didn't show it. He just nodded and got up. He knew where the boy was coming from. He had a rough childhood and Luke knew that his head was mostly filled with bad memories, but that would change in time.  
  
Luke: ''You can stay.''  
  
Luke started to head for the door, but stopped when he heard Jess' response.  
  
J: ''Thanks Luke, I swear I won't screw things up this time.''  
  
Luke nodded and went downstairs to work, a smile seeming almost unnatural on his face.  
  
Jess was still sitting at the table, looking around the apartment. He saw that his things were untouched and smirked, pleased with himself. He got a cigarette out of his pocket with the intention of smoking it, but stopped. He changed his mind and put it back in his pocket. Old habits did die hard, but they could easily be changed. Jess got up and went downstairs to help Luke, promising himself that he would unpack later.  
  
*~*~*  
  
By the time Lorelai pulled into Yale's parking lot, she still hadn't figured out how she was going to tell Rory about Jess' return. She got out of the car and silently cursed Jess for showing up today.  
  
R: ''Mom !''  
  
Lorelai looked up and forced a smile on her face. Rory was running towards her, one of her bags dragging behind her. When Rory reached her, she threw her arms around her mom and the two girls hugged. Lorelai could see, Cinnamon C., casually making her way towards them with another one of Rory's bags. Well, her real name was Cameron, but because of her cinnamon colored skin, she changed her name into Cinnamon C. And everyone called her that, even some of the teachers.  
  
L: ''Hey Cinnamon.''  
  
Lorelai broke the hug and took the bag from Cinnamon.  
  
C: ''Hey Lorelai, what's up ?''  
  
L: ''Nothing much. How about you ?''  
  
R: ''She has a new boyfriend. Hey mom, can I have your keys ?''  
  
L: Sure sweets.''  
  
Lorelai gave Rory the keys, so she could put her bags in the back-seat. Lorelai turned her attention back to Cinnamon.  
  
L: ''I can't believe you have another boyfriend ?!''  
  
Cinnamon practically changed boyfriends once a week. She didn't like commitment and always dumped the guy before things could get too serious. And even though every guy at Yale knew her reputation, they still handed her their numbers and asked her out. Lorelai couldn't blame them. She had to admit that Cinnamon was probably one of the most beautiful girls at Yale. Dazzling green eyes, perfect figure and brown hair with purple streaks that fitted her crazy personality perfectly. That was basically why Cinnamon was one of Rory's closest friends at Yale.  
  
C: ''What can I say ? I get bored easy.''  
  
Cinnamon smiled.  
  
L: ''What's this new mystery man like ?''  
  
Cinnamon shrugged.  
  
C: ''Basically your typical player, but players gotta be played sometimes, right ?''  
  
Lorelai laughed and nodded.  
  
L: ''Amen to that girlfriend.''  
  
Rory shook her head when she heard her mom's comment.  
  
R: ''Mom, can we please go now ? I have been stuck here for almost a year.''  
  
L: ''Poor baby.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and waved at Cinnamon as she got in the car.  
  
R: ''Bye Cameron.''  
  
C: ''Bye, don't forget to call.''  
  
Lorelai got in too, started the car and soon they were on their way back to Stars Hollow. Almost immediately Rory's pager went off and Lorelai silently cursed again. Damn pager. She was just going to tell Rory about Jess. Lorelai figured that there wasn't a perfect time to break this to her, so any time would do. And by any time she meant now, but of course there had to be another distraction.  
  
Rory got her pager and pushed on one of the buttons. Moments later a message appeared on the small screen that read: Have a good time angel heart. xxx Billy ;-)  
  
L: ''Who is it ?''  
  
R: ''Billy.''  
  
L: ''Billy huh ? What did he want ?''  
  
R: ''Nothing much. He just wished me a good time.''  
  
L: ''Is that what the message says ?''  
  
R: ''Basically.''  
  
L: ''That's a definite no. Read the message.''  
  
R: ''Have you ever heard of privacy ?''  
  
L: ''As a matter of fact I have. That's where you tell me everyhing, right ?''  
  
R: ''You're unbelievable.''  
  
L: ''And curious, now read.''  
  
R: ''Fine, the message said, have a good time angel heart.''  
  
L: ''And............?''  
  
R: ''Kisses Billy.''  
  
L: ''And.............?''  
  
R: ''That's it.''  
  
L: ''Are you sure ? Look again.''  
  
Rory sighed.  
  
R: ''How about I just show you the message.''  
  
She held up her pager and Lorelai quickly read it.  
  
L: ''Could there be a double meaning to the wink ?''  
  
R: ''Gross !''  
  
Lorelai smiled.  
  
L: ''So, how are things going between you and Billy ?''  
  
Lorelai decided that she would tell Rory the news later, she didn't wanna spoil the vibe they had going right now. Especially not when Rory was this happy. She was always happy when she talked about Billy. Billy Prescot had been her boyfriend for almost four months now. And they had been friends first, talk about déja vu.  
  
*~*~*  
  
R: ''Is that a traffic pad ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, Taylor decided that since almost every town had one we should too. But he forgot that there's no town as Stars Hollow, meaning that this is the smallest town in the world and that we don't need a traffic pad. I mean, cars in Stars Hollow don't speed.''  
  
R: ''Did you discuss it in a town meeting ?''  
  
L: ''Believe it or not we did.''  
  
R: ''How did he get everyone to agree to the traffic pad ?''  
  
L: ''The way he usually does. He brought it up at the end of the meeting, when everyone's tired, so everyone basically said yes to get Taylor of their backs.''  
  
R: ''It is a nice traffic pad though.''  
  
L: ''A nice traffic pad ? Sweets, all traffic pads look the same.''  
  
R: ''Not this one, this one is higher than most traffic pads.''  
  
L: ''Yeah, just to be safe with all the speeders we have here.''  
  
Rory laughed.  
  
R: ''So, are we going to Luke's ?''  
  
Lorelai shook her head.  
  
R: ''Why not ?''  
  
L: ''Cause I just discovered that caffeine can really kill you.''  
  
R: ''You mean, Luke was right all this time ?''  
  
L: ''Apparently.''  
  
R: ''Mom, what's wrong ?''  
  
Lorelai took a deep breath and glanced at Rory.  
  
L: ''Jess is back.''  
  
Suddenly Rory's eyes were drenched with sadness and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, pressing them tight against her heart. It was as if she was trying to shield it from hearing Lorelai's news. Jess was back......... Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head. No matter from how many different angels she was looking at those words, she couldn't change their definition.  
  
L: ''Rory, are you okay ?''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
R: ''Let's go home.''  
  
Without saying anything Lorelai drove past Luke's.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) (Thanks to everyone who read 'I guess, you say' !) 


	2. Being 'friends' is overrated

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! I should write a song for you guys, that way I can express how happy your reviews make me!!! Maybe it'll even become a number one hit ?! ;- ) Just kidding. Right now I'm playing the role of a fortune teller......... I can see your future and..........the answer's at the bottom of this chapter. So, enjoy!!! And please review, add another smile to my life and another chapter to yours! ;-) (Yeah, I'm crazy) Thanks for everything!!!  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Lorelai got out of the car and closed the door with her hip, her hands occupied with Rory's bag and her own purse.  
  
L: ''God, this bag is heavy. What did you put in them, rocks ?''  
  
Rory jumped out of the car and followed her mom to the door, carrying her other bag.  
  
L: ''Seriously, I think this bag wasn't this heavy back at Yale. You put rocks in it when I wasn't looking, didn't you ?''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes, ignoring her mom's comment as she went into the house. As soon as they were in the house, Lorelai dropped Rory's bag on the floor.  
  
L: ''See, even the sound it made sounded louder than usual. You definitely put rocks or something in it.''  
  
Rory dropped her bag and turned around to face her mom, rolling her eyes.  
  
R: ''That something is called books.''  
  
Rory smiled sweetly at her mom and easily lifted the bag from the floor.  
  
L: ''At least carrying all those books around in Chilton made you stronger.''  
  
Rory turned around and headed for her room, Lorelai right behind her, carrying the lighter one of Rory's bags.  
  
L: ''I like this bag, it's much lighter.''  
  
R: ''That's because my clothes are in there.''  
  
L: ''Okay, now what's wrong with this picture ?''  
  
Rory shrugged and dropped her bag on her bed.  
  
L: ''This is the bag that's supposed to be heavy.''  
  
Lorelai put the bag down and smiled at Rory. She was glad that her daughter was spending summer break with her.  
  
L: ''How about I go order the Indian food you like ?''  
  
R: ''But I thought you couldn't stand the smell of it ?''  
  
L: ''I can't, but I've already come up with a plan to get the smell out. Tomorrow morning, I'll open all the doors and windows, so the wind can air out the whole house.''  
  
R: ''It's not that bad.''  
  
L: ''Oh yes it is.''  
  
R: ''What if there's no wind tomorrow ?''  
  
L: ''Then I'll call upon the spirits of the wind.''  
  
R: ''So Pocahontas of you.''  
  
L: ''I'll go order the food.''  
  
Lorelai got up and left the room, leaving Rory alone to change. Rory didn't even bother to unzip her bag, but went straight to her closet. Since she spend practically every weekend here, she left some of her clothes here too. Besides opening her closet and going through her clothes gave her a warm feeling. One she had missed at Yale. She pulled out a pair of black and white checked PJ bottoms. Rory smiled at the memory of her mom's reaction when she first saw it. Her mom said she looked like a walking chessboard. That was what she had missed the most at Yale, her mom's opinions on stuff. Even though they talked to each other on the phone practically every day. Thanks God for the telephone.  
  
Rory reached for a tank top, but stopped when she caught a glimpse of a black sweatshirt. She reached for the sweatshirt and looked at it for a moment. 'Metallica' was written in red on the front. Rory smiled when she remembered how she got it. Jess got two tickets for their concert and dragged her along with him, though they ended up having a blast. He bought her this sweatshirt, cause she had been cold. It was a caring gesture for Jess. Rory quickly pulled the sweatshirt over her head and lay down on her bed. When Lorelai came back into the room, she found Rory lying on her stomach, hugging a pillow.  
  
L: ''Do you wanna talk ?''  
  
Rory nodded. Lorelai sat down on the bed and started to stroke Rory's back, trying to calm her down. They sat there like that for a while, Lorelai patiently waiting for Rory to talk. Finally Rory said something.  
  
R: ''Mom...........''  
  
L: ''Yes sweets ?''  
  
R: ''When did he come back ?''  
  
L: ''Today. He came in when I was just about to leave.''  
  
R: ''Is he..........I mean...........did he change ?''  
  
L: ''No, he's the same sarcastic............''  
  
R: ''Mom, seriously.''  
  
Lorelai shrugged.  
  
L: ''Not physically.''  
  
There was another silence between them, before Rory said something again.  
  
R: ''Does he know I'm back ?''  
  
L: ''No.''  
  
Suddenly the bell rang and Lorelai got up to answer it.  
  
R: ''I meant to write him, you know ? I tried to call.''  
  
L: ''I know babe.''  
  
Lorelai gave Rory a sympathetic look and left Rory's room. A few moments later, Lorelai appeared at Rory's door again.  
  
L: ''Are you coming or............?''  
  
R: ''No, I'm coming.''  
  
L: ''Okay. Don't forget to put on some perfume, cause this stuff stinks.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and followed her mom into the living room, still wearing Jess' sweatshirt.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Rory was awoken by her mom, who decided that practically jumping on top of her was a fun way to wake her up.  
  
R: ''Go away.''  
  
L: ''But lover boy's on the phone.''  
  
Lorelai waved the phone in front of Rory's face. Rory yawned and turned around, rubbing her eyes.  
  
R: ''Who ?''  
  
L: ''Billy. Not the Crawford kid though.''  
  
Rory stopped rubbing her eyes and took the phone.  
  
R: ''Hey Billy.''  
  
B: ''Morning angel heart. I'm sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to talk to you.''  
  
R: ''That's okay. And you didn't wake me up, my mom did. By jumping on top of me.''  
  
B: ''Maybe she thought you were a trampoline ?''  
  
R: ''Right, cause we both know how much I look like a trampoline.''  
  
B: ''Exactly. Oh and I'm also sorry for not being the Billy you're mom expected.''  
  
R: ''Okay, what ?''  
  
B: ''She obviously expected Billy Crawford, but unfortunately I'm not him. Besides I can't sing..........or dance.''  
  
Rory laughed.  
  
L: ''What did he say ? Did he propose ?''  
  
R: ''Hold on Billy, I need to throw my mom off my bed.''  
  
B: ''Take your time.''  
  
Rory covered the phone with her hand and shot her mom an annoyed look.  
  
R: ''Either be quiet or leave.''  
  
L: ''Yes sir.''  
  
Rory ignored her mom's comment and went back to the phone.  
  
R: ''I'm back.''  
  
B: ''Hey, do you have any plans for today ?''  
  
R: ''No, why ?''  
  
B: ''I wanted to come and visit you. It's been a while since I visited Stars Hollow.''  
  
R: ''Sure.''  
  
B: ''I'll be there in 2 hours, that will give time enough to worry about your clothes.''  
  
R: ''Jerk.''  
  
B: ''Bye............''  
  
She could hear Billy chuckle before he hung up. Rory hung up too and smiled at her mom.  
  
R: ''He's coming to see me.''  
  
L: ''When ?''  
  
R: ''Today, he'll be here in two hours. Oh my God, two hours !''  
  
L: ''That's what you said.''  
  
R: ''I don't know what to wear. I only brought a few clothes.''  
  
Rory immediately got up and started going through her bag. Lorelai just sat there and looked at her daughter, glad that she wasn't sad anymore.  
  
*~*~*  
  
By the time the doorbell rang, Rory was fully dressed in a gray knee length skirt and a blue hippie shirt. She was sitting on the couch, feeling the way she did when she has her first date with Billy. Lorelai got up and opened the door.  
  
L: ''Hey Billy boy, long time no see.''  
  
Billy laughed.  
  
B: ''Hey Lorelai.''  
  
He quickly hugged her and stepped into the house.  
  
R: ''Hi.''  
  
B: ''Hey angel heart.''  
  
Rory smiled when she saw Billy's clothes and shook her head. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and an orange shirt. His brown curls hung in front his eyes like usual, hiding his intense and happy, green eyes.  
  
R: ''I'm overdressed.''  
  
L: ''Emphasis on the over.''  
  
B: ''You look fine.....................for a date. Rory, is this a date ?''  
  
Rory smiled at Billy.  
  
R: ''I'm going to change.''  
  
B: ''Or I could change. I could barrow one of your dresses, put on some heels. I probably can't walk in them and fall flat on my face, but I don't care, cause they look cute underneath one of those dresses. Lorelai could even do my make-up, right ?''  
  
L: ''Definitely. I think red is your color.''  
  
R: ''I'll be back.''  
  
B: ''Make it a flowery dress !''  
  
When Rory came out of her room again, she was wearing dark flares and a casual shirt that said: 'I have a split personality'. She made her way over to the living room and found both Lorelai and Billy standing in front of the TV, jumping or something in that direction.  
  
R: ''What are you two doing ?''  
  
L: ''Hey hon, we're trying to dance like Justin Timberlake................. He sucks by the way.''  
  
B: ''I didn't say I could dance.''  
  
L: ''Yes you did.''  
  
B: ''Not like JT anyway.''  
  
Lorelai stopped 'dancing' and looked at Billy.  
  
L: ''Then like who ?''  
  
B: ''Billy Crawford of course. I mean we obviously share the first name, but we share the dance moves too. He got them from me.''  
  
Rory smiles when she saw how great her mom and Billy could get along. They almost had the same sense of humor and they could argue for hours about something stupid like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Her mom said that it was just a publicity stunt, so people would think the rainbow was cool. And Brian of course would disagree. He thought that the pot of gold was there for poor people. Only they knew the way to the end of the rainbow. And then Lorelai would ask if the gold wouldn't look a little suspicious when they would buy groceries or something and it all went downhill and even more childish from there.  
  
L: ''Oh really...........then prove it. I think we have a Billy Crawford cd lying around. I could put it on and then you could show me your amazing dance moves.''  
  
B: ''Yeah, maybe later.''  
  
L: ''Why ? Afraid that your girlfriend will find out that you can't dance ?''  
  
B: ''No.''  
  
L: ''Then why not ?''  
  
B: ''Cause Rory and me are going out and besides, you probably couldn't even find the cd.''  
  
L: ''That's what you think.''  
  
R: ''We're going now, bye.''  
  
B: ''Bye Lorelai.''  
  
L: ''Ah.........now you're quoting songs from N*sync.''  
  
B: ''What ?''  
  
R: ''You know, bye bye bye.''  
  
B: ''Oh.........., but I only used one bye.''  
  
R: ''Just ignore her.''  
  
L: ''Billy Crawford will be waiting for you when you get back !''  
  
Billy smiled as he followed Rory outside. Once they were outside he reached for her hand and pulled her closer. Rory smiled when he did this. He was so nice to her.  
  
R: ''So, where are we going ?''  
  
B: ''Luke's.''  
  
Rory suddenly stopped walking, forcing Billy to stop too.  
  
B: ''What's wrong ?''  
  
R: ''I already had coffee.''  
  
B: ''But I haven't. Besides, I thought you could never have too much coffee, right ?''  
  
Rory nodded and forced herself to walk over to Luke's. She knew she couldn't hide from Jess forever. And she shouldn't, cause they were friends........... Well, that was what they had agreed anyway, but so far neither of them had acted like a 'friend'. He didn't even know that she was back and he didn't even know that she knew that he was back. Rory knew she was confusing herself, but she also knew that things were about to get a lot more confusing..........  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) You guys are amazing!!! Thanks 4 the reviews!!! Right now I'm looking in my crystal ball and the future looks pretty bright for you guys. Happiness and smiles all the way............... :-) 


	3. Cold underneath the surface

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the character. Except Billy, but he's alright. :-) All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! It took two (or three ?) days, but here's the third chapter. I had trouble writing Billy's character, cause no one really knows him, you know ? So, I hope I did an okay job. Thanks for the reviews, though I can't actually read them all, cause fanfic screwed up. Yeah, it happens. Anyway please review and comment on Billy ?! Thanks.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory's fingers were enlaced with Billy's, when they entered the diner. Their fingers were an entangled mess, one she hoped never to find her way out of. She held on to his hand as if her life depended on it, when really she just wanted to prove to everyone, that they were together and that nothing could come between them. To Rory's amnesty, the diner was fairly crowded and Jess was nowhere to be found. Billy let go of her hand and walked over to a table. Rory smiled when she saw that he picked a table next to the window. Just like her, he didn't like to be in the middle of a crowd of people. So, whenever they went out for dinner, they specifically asked for a table next to a window or in a corner. Away from everyone, except from each other. She followed Billy to the table. When he saw her coming, he pulled the chair back. He shot her an amused look before he sat down himself. Rory shook her head and smiled.  
  
R: ''Such a gentleman.''  
  
B: ''Hey, even a gentleman has to sit.''  
  
He looked at her for a moment, before he got up and pulled the chair back with one swift movement.  
  
B: ''My lady.''  
  
He gestured towards the chair.  
  
R: ''Why thank you my lord.''  
  
She rolled her eyes and sat down. Billy chuckled at her reaction and sat down across from her. While Rory started to look out the window, Billy was looking around the diner. His emerald eyes reaching for everything that was going on around them, like the branches of a willow tree. Suddenly his eyes started to shine, like the jewel of the Nile, and a smile appeared on his face, causing a dimple to appear in the left corner of his mouth.  
  
B: ''Luke !''  
  
Luke slowly lifted up his head. As soon as he spotted the couple, his hard gaze softened and the hint of a smile touched his face. He quickly finished up taking a order and made his way over to their table.  
  
Luke: ''Billy, haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing ?''  
  
B: ''Fine, I was busy with college. How are things here ?''  
  
Luke shrugged as he threw a quick glance across the diner.  
  
Luke: ''Okay. Hey Rory.''  
  
Rory finally noticed Luke and smiled at him.  
  
R: ''Hi Luke.''  
  
Luke: ''How's Yale ?''  
  
R: ''Just like Chilton only bigger.''  
  
B: ''And more teachers.''  
  
Luke: ''Thanks for clearing that up.''  
  
R: ''Any time.''  
  
Finally a smile broke through on Luke's face.  
  
Luke: ''So, I'm assuming everything's going okay ? For the both of you ?''  
  
R: ''Yep.''  
  
B: ''She makes me study.''  
  
Luke nodded and shot them a look of approval.  
  
Luke: ''Good. Now, what can I get you two ?''  
  
R: ''Eh.......coffee ?''  
  
She smiled sweetly at Luke.  
  
Luke sighed and nodded.  
  
Luke: ''What else ?''  
  
R: ''A salad.''  
  
Luke shot Rory a look of disbelief.  
  
Luke: ''Excuse me ?''  
  
B: ''She's kidding. What she means is chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon.''  
  
Luke: ''I suggest the salad.''  
  
R: ''And make the bacon extra crispy.''  
  
Luke: ''Pieces of dead animal coming up. And you ?''  
  
B: ''Same as her, only I want my coffee in a cup instead of a bowl.''  
  
Luke: ''Is that all ?''  
  
Billy nodded.  
  
Luke: ''Okay, I'll be right back.''  
  
Luke was just about to turn around, but Rory stopped him.  
  
R: ''Luke ?''  
  
Luke: ''Yeah ?''  
  
R: ''I just wanted to apologize for not coming by yesterday. We were on our way, but then mom kinda told me..............''  
  
Luke nodded  
  
Luke: ''I understand.''  
  
Rory smiled and Luke started to head over to the counter. Rory followed him with her eyes and rested her gaze on the guy she went to Venice for. Jess was standing behind the counter, talking to Ceaser about something. Suddenly Rory started to feel guilty for letting her gaze linger too long. She returned her gaze to Billy. Luckily for her, he hadn't noticed her watching Jess. He was looking at something outside, his green eyes having the cheerful glow she loved so much. Rory smiled. He could be so focused sometimes and he could be amazed by the simplest little things. Rory wondered what she would look like through his eyes. Would he be amazed by her ? Finally Billy noticed her watching her and shifted his gaze from the window to her. He shot her an amused look from underneath his curls. He smiled.  
  
R: ''You're amazing.''  
  
Billy's smile turned into a cheerful grin, matching his eyes. He took her hand in his and softly started to stroke it with his fingers.  
  
B: ''And you're beautiful angel heart.''  
  
Rory started to blush and lowered her eyes to follow the steady movements of his fingers.  
  
B: ''Yes, I have magical fingers.''  
  
Rory laughed and brought her gaze up to meet his eyes. The intensity in them was enough to make her nervous and extremely self-conscious. She forgot all about Jess and got lost in his enchanting eyes. It reminded her of getting lost in the woods. During the day you were free to wander around in them, but as soon as it was starting to get dark, you had better find your way out as quickly as possible. Cause if you didn't, you were lost. Just like she was, forever and all the days after that.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Meanwhile, Jess was casually leaning against the wall behind the counter. Stealing glances at her, like a thieve in the night. He didn't know she was back, but he should have figured that she would spend summer break with Lorelai. The bond they had was unlike any other mother and daughter relationship. He was almost positive that she knew he was back, although she wasn't showing it. She was too busy looking at the guy across from her..........with longing. Jess studied her, she looked happy. On the outside anyway. Jess clenched his fists. He hated this part of himself. Always looking for the rotten part in the apple, no matter how good it looked. Maybe she was really happy ? Maybe......... But he couldn't help to think, and hope, that this picture seemed tainted in some way. He unclenched his fists and walked over to Luke.  
  
J: ''So, who's that ?''  
  
Luke looked up and followed Jess' gaze to Rory and Billy's table.  
  
Luke: ''Billy.''  
  
Luke slightly smiled.  
  
Luke: ''Good kid.''  
  
J: ''Her boyfriend ?''  
  
Luke looks at Jess and felt sorry for him, even though Rory deserved Billy. He nodded.  
  
Luke: ''Yeah.''  
  
J: ''Huh.''  
  
Luke: ''What ?''  
  
J: ''Nothing. Can I have a break ?''  
  
Luke raised one eyebrow.  
  
Luke: ''I didn't know you were working.''  
  
J: ''Strange, cause you're paying me.''  
  
Luke: ''Jess.''  
  
J: ''Just kidding. I'll be back.''  
  
He nodded at Luke and headed for the door. Luke wondered if Jess had suffered a broken heart before. He seemed like the guys who broke hearts and didn't care, but Luke knew better. He briefly glanced in Rory's direction. She had been looking at Jess, an unwritten and maybe nonexistent emotion in her eyes. And so did she........  
  
*~*~*  
  
When Rory saw Jess heading for the door, she looked up. She couldn't help it. It was as if invisible forces were calling her, like sirens would call upon young men. Jess didn't seem to notice her, but at he door he suddenly looked up. For a brief moment their eyes were locked. Rory's eyes reminded him of the Atlantic Ocean, her beautiful personality hidden underneath the surface, like the undiscovered creatures that lived in the deepest part of the Atlantic. Jess fought the urge to smirk at her and nodded instead.  
  
Rory didn't even bother to try to read him. They hadn't seen each other in a year and all he did was nod. And all she did was watch him walk away, book sticking out of his back pocket. Billy was oblivious to the exchange between them and the unheated sparks. All it took was one match, one trigger, to turn the sparks into chemistry.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After breakfast, they left the diner, Rory following Billy without paying attention. Suddenly she realized where he was leading her and stopped walking.  
  
R: ''Billy, where are we going ?''  
  
B: ''Bridge.''  
  
R: ''Why ?''  
  
Billy shrugged and looked at her over his shoulder.  
  
B: ''Cause it's beautiful there.''  
  
R: ''No.''  
  
B: ''That's not what you said............''  
  
R: ''I mean I don't want to go to the bridge.''  
  
Billy stopped walking and turned around to look at her.  
  
B: ''Why not ?''  
  
R: ''Cause...........the monster of Loch Ness lives in the lake.''  
  
B: ''I thought he lived in a lake in Scotland ?''  
  
R: ''Well, he decided that he didn't like it there anymore and moved. Too much rain.''  
  
Billy smiled and walked over to Rory.  
  
B: ''Come one angel heart, just for a minute ?''  
  
He brought his head closer to hers and softly kissed her. When he broke the kiss, Rory was out of breath. A small smile was starting to form on her lips.  
  
B: ''Please ? We'll just say hello to the Loch Ness Monster and then we're outta there.''  
  
R: ''Okay, but just hello. Not how are you or goodbye...........''  
  
B: ''Just hello.''  
  
Rory nodded. Billy got a sly smile on his face and his green eyes started to shine devilishly.  
  
B: ''Maybe you'll even get to say hello to him up close.''  
  
R: ''What...........''  
  
But before Rory could finish her question, Billy lifted her from the ground, placing one arm underneath her legs and the other around her waist. He started to walk over to the bridge. Rory tried to be mad at him, but all she could do was laugh. When they reached the bridge, she was still laughing.  
  
B: ''Sorry, we didn't know anyone was here.''  
  
J: ''Obviously.''  
  
Rory immediately stopped laughing when she heard Jess' voice. She turned her head and caught Jess' undecipherable gaze. It was like someone's handwriting you couldn't read, no matter how hard you tried.  
  
R: ''Jess.''  
  
B: ''You know him ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah, he's Luke's nephew.''  
  
Jess pretended not to be hurt by her answer. She didn't even call him her friend.  
  
B: ''Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Billy.''  
  
J: ''Huh.''  
  
B: ''Right, so we'll probably be going again.''  
  
J: ''Probably.''  
  
R: ''Hey, you know what I was wondering ?''  
  
B: ''Nope, what ?''  
  
R: ''Like maybe you could put me down ?''  
  
B: ''Yeah, you're heavy.''  
  
R: ''It's the coffee.''  
  
Billy gently put her down and let go of her. Rory avoided eyes contact with Jess and turned around to face Billy.  
  
R: ''Movies ?''  
  
B: ''Anything but black and white ones.''  
  
R: ''I agree, we have a color TV, so why not use it ?''  
  
Billy smiled and reached for her hand. Rory took it even though it felt weird in front of Jess.  
  
B:''Nice to meet you Jess.''  
  
J: ''Yeah.''  
  
He locked eyes with Rory.  
  
J: ''Is it me or is it cold ?''  
  
Rory was taken back by his comment and she had the urge to walk over to him and throw her arms around him. She wanted to tell him that she had missed him, but she couldn't. She had Billy now and she was 'happy'.  
  
R: ''Let's go.''  
  
Jess watched them leave, sadness visible in his clouded brown eyes. As soon as Rory turned her back, he had let down his guard. Earlier he wouldn't even have bothered to put up his guard in front of her, but things were different between them now.  
  
*~*~*  
  
B: ''So, Jess.......nice guy. Very talkative.''  
  
Rory didn't smile at his joke. She was too caught up in her own thoughts. What had happened between them ? Did they really grow apart so much, in one year ? Was this what it was going to be like between them ? Acting cold and distant towards each other ? Suddenly she had the urge to defend Jess, it was the least she could do. Especially since Billy didn't even know him as a person.  
  
R: ''He's not so bad once you get to know him.''  
  
Billy threw her a sideways glance.  
  
B: ''Are you two friends ?''  
  
R: ''No, he's..................no one.''  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) So, tell me, who's acting cold in this chapter ? Jess, Rory, both ? Are you shivering yet ? :-) And Billy's alright, right ? Thanks for the reviews!!! 


	4. Only time will tell how tourists really ...

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. Except for Billy :-) All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey everyone! What's up ? I hope your days have been better than mine, cause mine have been so boring!!! And it's so freakin' hot here!!! (not like that) ;-) Anyway thanks for the reviews, they certainly cool me off. And here's the next chapter. Please review ? Pretty please ? I swear I'll decorate the pretty with hearts and stars and..........You get my point. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
B: ''This is the first time we haven't rented Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Why ?''  
  
R: ''Cause every time we watched that, I was in the mood for chocolate and right now I'm in the mood for popcorn.''  
  
B: ''Right, why didn't I think of that ?''  
  
Billy rolled his eyes at her, while an amused smile played across his lips. Rory returned his smile and went into the living room.  
  
R: ''Mom ! We're back !''  
  
Suddenly Lorelai came running down the stairs, dressed in an Hawaiian skirt, a tank top and a pair of colorful flipflops. And to top it off, she was wearing a sombrero, her parents had given her a couple of years ago.  
  
L: ''Hey sweets.''  
  
Lorelai gave Rory a quick kiss on her cheek and ignored the looks both Rory and Billy were giving her.  
  
R: ''Uhm........mom ?''  
  
L: ''Yes ?''  
  
R: ''Why are you dressed like that ?''  
  
L: ''Cause some tourists from France are coming to stay at The Dragonfly.''  
  
Rory exchanged a look with Billy before she looked at her mom again, trying not to laugh.  
  
R: ''So, the outfit ?''  
  
L: ''Matches the tourists.''  
  
B: ''Right, cause French people like to walk around all day with a huge sombrero on their heads.''  
  
R: ''You don't honestly think that all those people are dressed like that, do you ?''  
  
Lorelai shrugged.  
  
L: ''I just wanted to dress up. I always have to be so reserved and neat when I'm at work.''  
  
B: ''Neat ?''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes again.  
  
L: ''So, how was coffee ?''  
  
B: ''Great. The coffee was okay and.........''  
  
L: ''Okay ? Did you just say okay ? Cause let me tell you Luke's coffee is anything but okay, it's spectacular, extraordinary. If heaven came in a cup, that's what it'll taste like.''  
  
B: ''It was the best I ever had.''  
  
L: ''Ah, you're just saying that.''  
  
B: ''Anyway.......it was great to see Luke again. He hasn't changed much though.''  
  
L: ''We know. But we finally got him to frown for yes and to roll his eyes for no.''  
  
R: ''He is nice though. And extremely patient............with uhm........some people.''  
  
L: ''Yeah, like with Taylor.''  
  
Billy softly chuckled.  
  
B: ''And we ran into his nephew.......Jess, I think it was. Not a very talkative person.''  
  
Lorelai's smile disappeared from her face.  
  
L: ''Why don't you rewind the movie, while we make the popcorn, okay ?''  
  
Billy shrugged and headed for the couch, while Lorelai gently pulled Rory into the kitchen. Rory placed a bag of corn in the microwave and pushed some buttons, while she waited for her mom to start this conversation.  
  
L: ''So........you guys ran into Jess ?''  
  
Rory nodded and kept her eyes on the bag as it kept spinning.  
  
L: ''Did he..............say something ?''  
  
R: ''No, unless you call making sarcastic comments saying something.''  
  
L: ''He made comments ?''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
R: ''Yeah, bit it's no big deal. He was just surprised to see me, that's all.''  
  
L: ''Are you two talking again ?''  
  
Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''I don't think so.''  
  
L: ''Do you want to ?''  
  
R: ''Maybe, I don't know. I mean, I have Billy now and I don't wanna screw things up between us.''  
  
L: ''Honey, you won't. Jess and you are friends, you two ended your relationship almost a year ago.''  
  
R: ''Right.''  
  
The microwave beeped, letting them both know that the popcorn was popped and ready. Rory waited for the bag to cool off, before she poured the popcorn into a bowl.  
  
L: ''I have to go. I'll come back bearing pizza.''  
  
Lorelai started to head for the door, Rory closely behind her.  
  
L: ''Bye sweets. Have fun. And don't do anything freaky !''  
  
B: ''We only do that on Friday !''  
  
Lorelai smiled and looked at Rory.  
  
L: ''I like him.''  
  
R: ''Me too.''  
  
Lorelai nodded and put on her sunglasses.  
  
L: ''Why is it suddenly so dark around me ? Could it be that the world has ended ? Or.....no it can't be, could it ? Am I...........dying ?''  
  
R: ''Bye.''  
  
Lorelai waved and left. Rory quickly closed the door and went to get the popcorn.  
  
*~*~*  
  
While they were watching the movie, Rory caught Billy a few times, watching her. When she felt his gaze on her again, she turned her head and met his eyes.  
  
R: ''You're watching me.''  
  
B: ''I can't help it, you're so............cute.''  
  
Rory opened her mouth, showing him pieces of half chewed popcorn. Billy grimaced.  
  
B: ''Or disgusting.''  
  
Rory swallowed her popcorn and started to laugh. A smile formed on Billy's face and he softly leaned in to kiss Rory on her cheek.  
  
B: ''You're crazy.''  
  
R: ''Strait jacket crazy or Britney Spears crazy ?''  
  
Billy sat up straight again and looked at her.  
  
B: ''Well, you're definitely not Britney Spears, though you looked a lot like her in those pictures you showed me. Where you were wearing that plaid skirt and maybe if you.......''  
  
R: ''I should dump you right here and now.''  
  
B: ''Why ?''  
  
R: ''Cause you were just comparing me with Britney Spears.''  
  
L: ''Who's comparing who with Britney Spears !?''  
  
They heard the door open and moments later Lorelai walked into the living room, carrying the biggest pizza box Billy had ever seen.  
  
R: ''Hey mom, how were the tourists ?''  
  
L: ''French and totally not touristy.''  
  
B: ''Touristy ?''  
  
R: ''Don't ask.''  
  
L: ''So, let's go back to Britney Spears.''  
  
R: ''Oh, Billy was comparing me to Britney Spears.''  
  
L: ''Oh.''  
  
R: ''Oh ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, cause we all know how much you look like her. Especially the low cut jeans and belly shirts.''  
  
R: ''Sounds just like me.''  
  
Lorelai smiled.  
  
L: ''So, pizza, here or in the kitchen ?''  
  
*~*~*  
  
After dinner, Rory walked Billy to his car.  
  
R: ''Do you have to ?''  
  
Billy smiled.  
  
B: ''I promised my mom I would be home tonight.''  
  
Billy locked eyes with Rory and just looked at her, for what seemed like forever. Finally he leaned in and reunited their lips. Their lips briefly touched, as he swiftly moved his fingers over her face. They parted for a split second, so they could catch their breath and prepare for their next kiss. Which was more passionate and lasted longer. Billy backed her against his car and pushed his body against hers, hoping to taste even more of her. Rory was aware of the weight of his body, that was leaning against hers and broke the kiss, even though she longed for his touch.  
  
R: ''My mom could be watching.''  
  
B: ''So ?''  
  
Billy gently grabbed her chin with his fingers and brought her lips against his again, causing Rory to feel a burning sensation at the bottom of her stomach. She returned his kiss and felt the heat reaching upwards. Twirling and spinning like a whirlwind, blowing all her other emotions aside. But finally her mind got the best for her and the whirlwind fell dead, as if it had crashed against an invisible barrier. She planted her hands firmly against his chest and forced him to take a step back, breaking their kiss.  
  
R: ''Besides you promised your mom that you would be home tonight.''  
  
B: ''Ah, but the night is still young.''  
  
R: ''Billy.........''  
  
Billy sighed and gave in. He stopped caressing her face and took another step back, so she could move freely again. He locked eyes with her, his jade eyes causing her blood to boil even more.  
  
B: ''I love you.''  
  
Rory took a deep breath and lowered her eyes. She didn't say anything and time seemed to pass by quicker than sand slipping through an hourglass. Finally she mumbled something.  
  
R: ''I think you're...........lovely too.''  
  
Billy softly laughed, lowering his eyes till they were on her level.  
  
B: ''I'm flattered.''  
  
He locked eyes with her again and lovingly kissed her hair.  
  
B: ''Some day, but until then, I'll wait.''  
  
He opened his car door and got in.  
  
B: ''Bye angel heart.''  
  
Rory smiled and watched his car disappear into the night. She let out a sigh, shot one more look in the direction his car just went, and headed for the house. On her way there, she decided to go for a walk.  
  
R: ''Mom, I'm going for a walk !''  
  
She grabbed her jacket and put it on.  
  
L: ''Okay sweets. Just stay out of the woods !''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and went outside.  
  
*~*~*  
  
At the bridge, she just sat down at her regular spot and watched her legs, as she swung them back and forth. It reminded her of the way you would earn speed on a swing. The more you swung your legs, the higher you went. She always tried to reach the sky, but of course that never happened. Rory looked at the sky and smiled. What she wouldn't give for a chance to touch the sky. Maybe it would be the same as when you put your hand in paint. Maybe the black off the night would cover her hand, like black paint. Rory shook her head and shivered. It was cold.............she was cold........ Immediately her find found the tape she had been looking for. The scene, at the bridge this afternoon, started to play in her head. She shivered again, this time feeling as if her veins had all frozen solid. She lowered her eyes in shame. Friends used to come before everything.......... Finally Rory sighed and got up.  
  
As she started to walk down the bridge, she was unaware of the figure, that was hiding in the shadows, following her with his dark eyes. Once she was out of sight, he got out a cigarette and lit it. When Rory was here, he didn't dare to lit it. It was the way he showed his respect for her, showing her, that he still cared. Jess looked up at the dark heavens. One single star decorated the never ending darkness. But it shone bright enough to lit up the night and his path, that would eventually cross hers. When ? He didn't know. Only time would tell.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) And please try to get along with Billy, cause he's going to be around for a little while longer. And thanks for the reviews. I treat them like gods....... Just kidding. :-) They do mean a lot though. THANKS! :-) 


	5. Plaid

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey! Okay, so basically this chapter is a filler. The first part anyway, though the second part is a new beginning, in a way I guess. So, Rory and Jess aren't going to get together right away, cause I still have some stones to throw in their path. And Billy isn't out of the picture yet......basically I'm still adding colors to my master piece. (yeah right) Please tell me what you think when you're done reading. Thanks! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
L: ''So, what do you think ?''  
  
R: ''About what ?''  
  
Rory wiped a stranded hair away from her face as she turned her head to look at her mom. She didn't have a clue about what her mom was talking about. She had been too preoccupied with her own thoughts. Most of them were about Jess, but she had a reason for not worrying about Billy. See, everything was going great between them so there was nothing to think about. Now her relationship with Jess on the other hand reminded her of a boat caught in a storm. She was stuck on that boat with Jess until they finally reached shore again. All they had to do was get through the storm.  
  
L: ''About my ingenious and profound idea of course.''  
  
R: ''Which one ?''  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes.  
  
L: ''The one about replacing the salt water of the ocean with coffee.''  
  
R: ''Mom.''  
  
L: ''What ?''  
  
R: ''How are you going to get rid of all the salt water ?''  
  
Lorelai shrugged.  
  
L: ''We'll put it in bottles and sell it.''  
  
R: ''No one drinks salt water.''  
  
L: ''Kirk does.''  
  
R: ''Where are you going to get that amount of coffee ?''  
  
Lorelai pushed open the door of Luke's diner and smiled at Rory.  
  
L: ''Luke.''  
  
Rory shook her head as she followed her mom inside. Lorelai started to head for the counter without thinking. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped and looked at Rory.  
  
L: ''I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that.''  
  
R: ''Cause you've practically been programmed to do that.''  
  
L: ''Well, I guess it's time to re-program.''  
  
Lorelai wanted to head for a table in the back, but Rory stopped her.  
  
R: ''It's okay mom, we can sit at the counter.''  
  
L: ''Are you sure ? Cause that table over there looks really..........clean. Cleaner than the other tables. Besides the counter can be sticky sometimes and...........''  
  
R: ''Mom, I made up my mind.''  
  
Rory gave her mom a reassuring smile.  
  
L: ''Sticky counter it is.''  
  
Lorelai turned around, a little relieved that she didn't have to break her daily routine, and started to walk over to the counter. Rory slowly followed her, eyes on the ground as she did this. She had seen Jess when they came in. He had been taking orders at the counter. She still felt a little awkward and nervous when she was around him, but she was going to act like she wasn't. Maybe she could even try to talk to him without pulling an ice woman on him.  
  
L: ''Luke, do you have enough coffee to fill an ocean ?''  
  
Luke ignored her and turned his attention towards Rory, who just sat down.  
  
Luke: ''Morning Rory.''  
  
R: ''Hey Luke.''  
  
L: ''You know, just because you're ignoring me doesn't mean that I will stop annoying you. Just ask Rory. The one time she tried to ignore me, I kept repeating the same question over and over. Am I annoying you ? Am I annoying you ? Am I annoying you ? Am I annoying you ?''  
  
Luke shot Lorelai an annoyed look before he directed a question towards Rory.  
  
Luke: ''Where's the off button ?''  
  
R: ''I don't think she has one, but coffee will make her less annoying.''  
  
Luke sighed.  
  
Luke: ''Two coffees coming right up.''  
  
L: ''And I didn't even have to ask you for it.''  
  
Luke turned around and started to pour some coffee. As soon as he put the coffee down in front of Lorelai, she grabbed it and took a sip.  
  
L: ''We thank you oh wonderful coffee guru. After we finish this worshipable coffee, we will get on our knees and kiss your feet.''  
  
R: ''I don't think I want this coffee anymore.''  
  
Luke: ''When are you leaving for work ?''  
  
Lorelai checked her watch.  
  
L: ''In a couple of minutes.''  
  
Luke: ''I worship your work schedule.''  
  
R: ''And Luke jumps and he scores.''  
  
Lorelai shot Rory an evil look.  
  
L: ''Looks like Satan finally found himself a gal pal.''  
  
R: ''Just because I chose Luke's side ?''  
  
L: ''No, because of the way you put it. He jumps and he scores ?''  
  
R: ''Hey, maybe he plays basketball.''  
  
L: ''Yeah. And maybe he has a cool nickname like Flyin' Flannel or Plaid ball. Get it plaid ball ?''  
  
Luke: ''Go to work Lorelai.''  
  
L: ''I will, but not because you said so, but because I only have two more minutes to get there. And I'm not going to waste them by arguing with you.''  
  
Luke: ''One more minute.''  
  
Lorelai ignored Luke's comment and gave Rory a quick kiss on her cheek.  
  
L: ''Be good. Bye Homey Plaid.''  
  
Lorelai got up and headed for the door. Suddenly the door opened and Kirk came in.  
  
L: ''Hey Kirk. Luke has a new name.''  
  
K: ''Really ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, he likes to be called Flyin' Flannel from now on.''  
  
Rory watched Luke roll his eyes and held back a smile. There was no way he was going to win from her mom. Kirk sat down next to Rory.  
  
R: ''Hey Kirk.''  
  
K: ''Rory. Have you seen Flyin' Flannel ?''  
  
A smile broke through on Rory's face as she called Luke over.  
  
Luke: ''What do you want Kirk ?''  
  
K: ''May I ask why you changed your name from Luke to Flyin' Flannel ?''  
  
Luke sighed.  
  
Luke: ''Jess !''  
  
He shifted his gaze back to Kirk.  
  
Luke: ''Jess will be right here to take your order.''  
  
Before Kirk could say anything else, Luke went to take orders. Jess handed Ceaser an order and casually walked over to where Kirk and Rory were sitting.  
  
R: ''Hey.''  
  
Jess quickly glanced at her and nodded.  
  
J: ''What can I get you Kirk ?''  
  
Rory felt a little disappointed by the way he greeted her, but at least he acknowledged her.  
  
K: ''Do you have Fruitloops ?''  
  
J: ''Nope.''  
  
K: ''Could you make me some ?''  
  
J: ''You've got five more seconds to decide Kirk.''  
  
K: ''Can I have ten ?''  
  
J: ''Four.''  
  
Kirk glanced at Rory.  
  
K: ''What would you get if you were me ?''  
  
R: ''Coffee.''  
  
K: ''What kind of coffee ?''  
  
J: ''The kind of coffee that makes you sleepy afterwards.''  
  
R: ''Black coffee.''  
  
Kirk nodded and looked at Jess.  
  
K: ''Black coffee please.''  
  
He returned his gaze back to Rory.  
  
K: ''What else ?''  
  
R: ''Uhm.......pancakes.''  
  
J: ''Or eggs.''  
  
K: ''You two are confusing me and I don't like it when people make me confused.''  
  
J: ''Or we have bacon, sausage, donuts.............''  
  
K: ''I'm just going to get some Fruitloops at Doose's.''  
  
R: ''Bye Kirk.''  
  
She smiled as she watched Kirk leave. He was probably the strangest person in Stars Hollow. Rory brought her eyes up and met Jess'. When she saw the emotionless look in his eyes, she quickly looked away.  
  
R: ''Can I have Kirk's coffee and pancakes please ?''  
  
Jess nodded, not saying a thing as he poured some coffee into a paper cup. Rory silently sighed and realized that he wasn't going to make it easy for her. But then again, why would he ? She was the one who practically ignored him yesterday and she was the one who broke up with him almost a year ago. She should have figured that the friends thing wouldn't work for them.  
  
R: ''Can I have it to go ?''  
  
Jess put the coffee down in front of her and raised his eyebrows.  
  
J: ''Pancakes to go ? Pretty risky with the syrup.''  
  
Rory grabbed her coffee and got up.  
  
R: ''Never mind.''  
  
She left him some money and silently left the diner.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory went straight to the bridge, not thinking about the fact that Jess used to come here often. Rory shook her head and smiled bitterly. She remembered that he once told her that this was his favorite spot in Stars Hollow and now he probably just ignored this place, afraid that he would run into her. Suddenly Rory heard footsteps on the bridge and she looked up to see who it was, even though she already knew. As soon as her eyes found Jess' figure, she sighed and grabbed her coffee.  
  
R: ''I'll leave.''  
  
J: ''You don't have to.''  
  
Rory met his eyes.  
  
R: ''You're not going to push me in the lake, are you ?''  
  
Jess didn't say anything and sat down next to her. Rory was aware that her hand was gently grazing the side of his arm and quickly pulled it back. Rory glanced at him, hoping that he would say something. Finally she couldn't take the silence anymore. She was used to talking to him and this was killing her.  
  
R: ''I didn't mean to treat you the way I did.''  
  
Jess kept his eyes on the water, not moving or saying anything. Rory sighed.  
  
R: ''I feel horrible about it. And about not keeping in touch with you.''  
  
J: ''I haven't exactly been a good penfriend either.''  
  
Another silence filled the air around them.  
  
R: ''Why did you come back ?''  
  
Jess shrugged. He actual reason was, that Stars Hollow felt like home to him, but he wasn't going to tell her. Not yet anyway.  
  
R: ''Fine. I'm a very patient person. Besides I'll just read your diary.''  
  
Jess held back a smirk.  
  
J: ''What makes you think that I don't have a secret hiding place ?''  
  
Jess turned his head and locked eyes with her. She may have changed in appearance a little and she may have become more serious, but the cheerfulness was still radiating in her eyes.  
  
R: ''I'll find it eventually.''  
  
She tore her eyes away from Jess.  
  
R: ''I'm a really good searcher. Remember the time when my mom lost the phone ?''  
  
Jess nodded.  
  
R: ''Remember the person who found it ?''  
  
Jess nodded and smirked.  
  
J: ''She left the phone in the medicine cabin when she went to get a bandage earlier.''  
  
R: ''You have an amazing memory.''  
  
J: ''Oh yeah, I can even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday.''  
  
Rory softly laughed and glanced at Jess. She was feeling more comfortable around him. And that was exactly what she had wanted.  
  
R: ''You know, I still mail Lily every now and then.''  
  
Though Lily had never mentioned anything about Jess moving back to Stars Hollow. Maybe he didn't tell them where he was going.  
  
R: ''She misses you.''  
  
Jess didn't say anything. He knew that Lily missed him, she had told him right before he left, that she was going to miss him. She told him that she never had a big brother before and that he was the best one she had ever had. And for the first time in his life, Jess had felt touched. He even hugged Lily right before he left. He had promised to call her once he got where he was going, but he hadn't yet. He wasn't that good with promises. He looked over at Rory and wished that he could hug her, like he did back in Venice. And he wanted to ask her, if she had missed him. Had she thought about him ? Probably not, she already had a new boyfriend. He never thought Rory would get a new boyfriend this quickly. Not because she wasn't beautiful enough, cause she was probably one of the most gorgeous girls on this planet, but because of the fact that she needed time to think about things. Jess wondered if she loved Billy. Jess wanted to ask her all this and more and he knew, that she had questions to ask herself. But right now wasn't the time. Besides he hadn't answered her question, so he didn't have the right to ask one and expect an answer. Even though he would probably get one. They had to focus on their future now, the past would come later.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Thanks you so much for all the reviews!!! It's really cool to know that people are actually taking the time to read my chapters. :-) 


	6. Old peppermints and new coffee

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. Except Billy, a.k.a the boy next door. All I own is my imagination and the plot. (I also don't own the TLC ringtone and I don't even know if it exists, so just pretend if it doesn't.) :-)  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! Sorry this chapter is kinda short, but I had to put Lane in to the story somehow, so........ Don't worry, it's still fun to read though. Just a couple of more characters and then the final part of the plot (a.k.a the real plot) can begin to take place. So, please be patient for another couple of chapters. And don't forget to review. Thanks! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory could hardly keep her eyes open, while she was walking over to Luke's. She had stayed at the bridge late, just talking to Jess about things, that didn't require any digging into her soul. After that she went home and had lain on her bed, clutching the 'Linkin Park' sweatshirt, that Jess had given her. Finally, after she practically went through every memory she had stored in her head about Jess, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. And even though, she was extremely sleepy this morning, it had still been there. An honest smile, that was only so honest, because of the satisfaction, her memories about Jess, had given her. It seemed eternally engraved on her face. And every time, she walked past a mirror or a window, she caught herself smiling. The first time she had even traced the curve of her smile with her fingers, just to see if it hadn't been painted on.  
  
As soon as she had put on some clothes, she decided to go over to Luke's, because she badly needed some of his coffee. That, and she wanted to see Jess again. She was hoping, that he hadn't, for some reason, changed. And that he hadn't put on some kind of masquerade for her, last night. Rory started to walk faster. So she could reach the diner faster and stop 'the change' from happening. All of a sudden, she slowed down. An image of Billy entered her mind, as clear as a picture. Her smile disappeared for one, barely countable second, but returned quickly. After all, she just enjoyed being able to talk to Jess again, like they used to do. She and Billy couldn't talk about books. Purely, because of the fact, that Billy only read science fiction novels and the Sports Illustrated. But that was something she admired about him. He was so committed to one type of novel and he knew so much about sports. Unanticipatedly, her cell phone started to ring and TLC's 'Damaged' reached her ears. She had completely fallen in love with that song and it had been her ringtone ever since she had first heard it. Rory pushed the image, of Billy, to the back of her mind, so it was like a picture, faded by sunlight. She reached for her phone and flipped it open.  
  
R: ''Rory Gilmore speaking.''  
  
Lane: ''Ooo, so serious.''  
  
R: ''Lane ?''  
  
Lane: ''Depends. If you mean, you're best friend in the entire world, hey than who am I to prove you wrong. But if you mean Lane, as in a bowling lane or anything else, than no.''  
  
R: ''I think I'll choose the first one.''  
  
Lane: ''Clever girl. So, how are you ?''  
  
R: ''I'm fine. What about you ? I haven't spoken to you in a while.''  
  
Lane: ''Yeah, well........I had this throat thing and it hurt so bad, that I couldn't talk for a while.''  
  
R: ''Uhuh. Is your throat doing better now ?''  
  
Lane: ''I'm talking to you right ? What was your excuse ?''  
  
R: ''Uh, the battery of my phone was low.''  
  
Lane: ''What about those phones where you put coins in ?''  
  
R: ''No coins.''  
  
Lane softly laughed.  
  
Lane: ''I guess we both haven't been really good at staying in contact huh ?''  
  
R: ''Not really. But I was really busy with college.''  
  
Lane: ''Me too. Well, sorta anyway.''  
  
R: ''Lane.''  
  
Lane: ''Hey, I'm still getting good grades. Anyway, where are you ?''  
  
R: ''Stars Hollow, I'm spending summer break here.''  
  
Lane: ''Where are you right now ?''  
  
R: ''I'm almost at Luke's.''  
  
Lane: ''Good.''  
  
R: ''How come ?''  
  
Lane: ''Well, now you can go in and tell me what you see.''  
  
R: ''Why ?''  
  
Lane: ''Cause I haven't been to Luke's in a while and I need a reminder of how things look.''  
  
R: ''Okay. Well, I'm at the door right now, one that actually opens. And I'm pushing it open and stepping in to Luke's and...................Lane !''  
  
Everyone in the diner looked up when Rory shrieked Lane's name, including Jess and Ceaser. The reason why Rory had shrieked, was because Lane was sitting at one of the tables. Rory quickly hung up and started to head over to Lane. Lane met her halfway and the two girls threw their arms around each other and shrieked some more. They heard someone running down the stairs and moments later Luke appeared.  
  
Luke: ''Who saw how big of a spider this time ?''  
  
Jess snickered at Luke's response to the shrieking.  
  
J: ''No spider uncle Luke, just two hyper eighteen year olds.''  
  
Luke shot him a confused look, before following Jess' gaze to the two girls standing in the middle of the diner, their arms still around each other. Finally Rory took a step back and shot Luke an apologetic smile.  
  
R: ''We're sorry Luke.''  
  
Lane: ''Yeah, I was just practicing my screaming for my part in a horror movie.''  
  
Rory started to giggle and she lead Lane over to an empty table. The two girls sat down, still giggling.  
  
R: ''What are you doing here ?''  
  
Lane: ''I decided to spend this summer with my mom.''  
  
R: ''That's great.''  
  
Lane: ''Apparently. So, one serious question before we end up with tears running down our cheeks.''  
  
R: ''Go ahead.''  
  
Lane: ''What's Jess doing here ? Isn't he supposed to be in Venice ?''  
  
Rory's smile turned sad at the memory of him moving there. She nodded.  
  
R: ''He was, but he moved back.''  
  
Lane: ''He did ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah.''  
  
The sadness disappeared out of her smile and the content sparkle returned to her eyes.  
  
Lane: ''Guess he clicked his shoes and said there's no place like home.''  
  
Rory chuckled as she pictured Jess doing that.  
  
Lane: ''Hey Jess. How was Venice ?''  
  
J: ''Lane, how was Christian church. Probably a lot of praying going on huh ?''  
  
Lane: ''Only because people like you need it.''  
  
Rory shot her a look, but didn't bother to say anything. Lane and Jess could never really get along.  
  
J: ''Well, I could use a new car, so just ask God and get back to me on that.''  
  
Lane rolled her eyes.  
  
J: ''Since the welcome back speech is over with, what do you guys want ?''  
  
Lane: ''Another waiter.''  
  
J: ''Do I look like a waiter to you ?''  
  
Lane: ''You're holding a pen and a notepad in your hands, aren't you ?''  
  
J: ''Guess that Christian college of you never taught you about prejudgments huh ?''  
  
Lane: ''No, but they did learn me how to stone someone.''  
  
R: ''I want coffee please.''  
  
Lane: ''Or crucifying might work too. Know where I can get some wood ?''  
  
R: ''Lots of coffee please, cause I'm getting a headache.''  
  
Lane: ''I'm sure Luke would help me.''  
  
R: ''Guys !''  
  
J: ''I'm sorry, I'll go stand in the corner.''  
  
Rory shot him an annoyed look.  
  
J: ''Sorry, geez. So, coffee for you. What do you want ?''  
  
Lane: ''A nicer...............''  
  
Lane stopped, when Rory kicked her under the table.  
  
Lane: ''I mean, a soda and a burger. With fries.''  
  
J: ''Right, I'll be back.''  
  
Lane: ''Yeah, you better go, duty calls after all.''  
  
Jess shook his head and walked away. Rory shot Lane another look.  
  
Lane: ''What ?''  
  
Rory couldn't help, but smile as Lane tried to look innocent.  
  
R: ''So, how's Dave ?''  
  
Immediately Lane started to grin.  
  
Lane: ''He's doing great. He couldn't come to Stars Hollow with me, cause he's doing gigs all over.''  
  
R: ''Why didn't you go with him ? I thought you were the drummer ?''  
  
Lane shrugged.  
  
Lane: ''I was, but after the first month of college, I quit.''  
  
R: ''You did ?''  
  
Lane: ''Yep. And ever since I quit, I have been driving my roommates crazy, cause I kept drumming on desks and stuff.''  
  
R: ''Is that allowed ?''  
  
Lane: ''Only if I play Christian songs, so when they walk in, I just start tapping Kum-ba-ya or something.''  
  
R: ''Sounds................''  
  
Lane: ''Horrible ?''  
  
R: ''Not even close.''  
  
Lane: ''You get used to it. How's Yale ?''  
  
R: ''Hard.''  
  
Lane: ''Hello, it's Yale, so........duh !''  
  
Rory laughed.  
  
Lane: ''So, how's the boy next door doing ?''  
  
R: ''We have a boy next door ?''  
  
Lane rolled her eyes.  
  
Lane: ''You know what I mean.''  
  
R: ''Billy's doing fine. He gets higher grades than me.''  
  
Lane: ''Oooo jealous ?''  
  
R: ''Yes, but I feel bad about it.''  
  
Lane: ''You two are still together ?''  
  
R: ''Yep. He even came to visit me.''  
  
Lane: ''And ?''  
  
R: ''There's no and.''  
  
Lane: ''Yes there is.''  
  
R: ''How do you know ?''  
  
Lane: ''Just guessing.''  
  
R: ''Good guess.''  
  
Lane: ''How do you think I ace those multiple choice questions ?''  
  
R: ''We ran in to Jess.''  
  
Lane: ''You and Billy ?''  
  
R: ''Yes, by we, I did mean me and Billy. How observant of you.''  
  
Lane: ''Did that meeting happen to end with the words, fight fight ?''  
  
R: ''No, Billy was actually really nice to Jess and well, you know Jess.''  
  
Lane: ''Unfortunately. How did you react to this situation. A very awkward situation might I add.''  
  
R: ''Cold.''  
  
Lane: ''Bitchy ?''  
  
R: ''No, cold.''  
  
Lane wanted to say something back, but stopped when she saw Jess was coming their way.  
  
J: ''You can hear a pin drop.''  
  
He placed their orders on the tables and left again, but not before meeting Rory's eyes briefly.  
  
Lane: ''So, what was that all about ?''  
  
Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''We just recently became friends again.''  
  
Lane: ''Uhuh, friends with benefits I'm sure.''  
  
Suddenly her cell phone went off and she glared at Lane.  
  
Lane: ''It's not me.''  
  
Rory sighed and left the diner. Once she was outside, she answered her phone, while leaning against the wall.  
  
R: ''Rory here.''  
  
B: ''Hey, it's me.''  
  
R: ''Billy, hi.''  
  
B: ''I just wanted to see how you were doing.''  
  
R: ''Great actually.''  
  
B: ''So, when can I see you again, cause staring at your picture gets old pretty fast. Especially since you don't say anything back.''  
  
Rory laughed, just as the door of the diner opened.  
  
B: ''I miss you.''  
  
Rory shifted her eyes to the door and locked eyes with a pair of brown ones, she recognized so well.  
  
J: ''I'm guessing that's Romeo on the other end of the line.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes at him.  
  
R: ''Whatever.''  
  
B: ''What ?''  
  
R: ''O god Billy. I'm sorry, I wasn't talking to you.''  
  
Jess smirked and listened to Rory as she kept babbling. She was so into her conversation, that she didn't even notice him watching her. He wondered if Billy appreciated her babbling like he did. Jess shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk away from Rory. He had to stop thinking about her, he had to get over her. Cause apparently she had gotten over him a while ago..........  
  
R: ''Bye.''  
  
Rory quickly hung up and followed Jess' figure, as he was getting further and further away from her. He looked so sure of himself. Head high, shoulders straight. And his leather jacket, that was so warm and comfortable. She remembered that it smelled like peppermint, cause he kept them in one of his pockets. They had been in there, ever since he tried to quit smoking. Rory wondered if he was still smoking and if the peppermints were still there. Rory shook her head and sighed.  
  
R: ''I need coffee.''  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I would like your opinion one the way I'm writing Lane. I know she's outta character, but is it really that bad ? Thanks. And also thanks for the reviews, you'll all be getting a thank you card and maybe a balloon. :-)...text 


	7. Beautifully complicated

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) I'm really happy, cause I think I did a pretty good job on this chapter. Yeah, I know, some of you might think it sucks or whatever, but I think this chapter is the best one of this story so far. Lots of descriptions, I know, but I just wanted to put it into the chapter. I mean, Rory could remember him vividly, but Billy.............I guess you guys have to read it. :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory closed her phone and shoved the small, metallic square in her pocket, as she went back into the diner. While she was making her way over to Lane, she couldn't control her gaze, as it stayed fixed on the counter. She pictured Jess standing there, casually leaning on the counter with his elbows, while he was holding one of his many paperbacks. Rory sighed and obligated herself to look away. She dropped herself on the chair across from Lane and immediately reached for her coffee.  
  
Lane: ''Look who found her way back.''  
  
R: ''I smelled the coffee.''  
  
Rory brought the cup to her mouth and started to gulp the coffee down, liking the way it tickled her throat on the inside.  
  
Lane: ''Who was on the phone ?''  
  
Rory finished the last of her coffee before she answered.  
  
R: ''Billy.''  
  
She spotted Luke across the diner and held up her cup, hoping that he would get the hint.  
  
Lane: ''And ?''  
  
Rory sighed and ran one of her hands through her hair.  
  
R: ''He missed me and he wants to come by one if these days.''  
  
Luke: ''You rang ?''  
  
Rory could almost see the sarcasm dripping out of the corners of Luke's mouth. She smiled apologetically at him as he refilled her cup.  
  
R: ''I'm sorry Luke, I didn't mean it like that.''  
  
Luke nodded.  
  
Luke: ''I make a joke and everyone thinks I'm serious.''  
  
Lane: ''Good joke, very funny. I think I'll tell that one to my mom. You rang ? Think she'll get it ?''  
  
R: ''I'll bring a bell next time. My mom would love that.''  
  
Luke: ''Don't encourage her. Anything else ?''  
  
R: ''Nope, just coffee.''  
  
Luke: ''Hey, Rory, do you know where Jess went ?''  
  
R: ''Uh......yeah. He went outside a couple of minutes ago. He's probably taking a break.''  
  
Luke: ''He doesn't work for me.''  
  
Rory looked up at Luke and he nodded.  
  
Luke: ''Okay, so, I have to get back to work.''  
  
Luke rested his gaze on Rory a little longer and went back to work.  
  
Rory took a sip of her coffee and looked out the window, almost as if she could see Jess. He wasn't working for Luke, yet she had seen him take orders and stuff like that. It definitely surprised her. She could hear Lane sigh, but her gaze remained fixed on the bridge, that wasn't visible through the trees and small buildings.  
  
Lane: ''Go.''  
  
Rory turned her head and glanced in Lane's direction.  
  
R: ''Huh ?''  
  
Lane: ''God, you're even talking like him. Don't ever do that again, if you want to stay friends with me, that is.''  
  
R: ''I do not talk like him.''  
  
Rory didn't have to ask Lane who she was talking about, it was obvious. It always was. Lane coughed.  
  
Lane: ''Queen of denial, part two.''  
  
Rory smiled, wondering if it was true. Was she falling in love with Jess again ? No, she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself fall in love with him. They had tried that and it hadn't worked. There had been too many complications in their relationship. But then again that was what a relationship was all about. You had to 'discover' each other. And she was positive that she had him almost figured out. With every conversation they had, she felt closer to him. Rory got a gentle and content look on her face. Their relationship was definitely based on their conversations about literature. She remembered the sound of his voice almost perfectly. He had a boyish voice, not too deep and she remembered that it never once faltered. Not once. But he did stop every now and then, in mid-sentence, as if Jess was carefully picking out his words. And he would always talk to her in a soft and relaxing tone. And his voice was never husky, except after one of their kisses.  
  
Why was she thinking about this ? This was all in the past. She lightly shook her head, barely noticeable to the others around her. No, that wasn't true. He was a part of her present, and possibly her future. And she had the pleasure of listening to his, carefully thought over, words as they escaped his beautifully shaped lips. His bottom lip always seemed to be in a slight curve. And his eyes.......so dark. Probably the deepest and darkest brown she had ever seen. And even though they were unreadable, most of the time, there was always a certain honesty in them. 'May the truth always be found in one's eyes. She didn't remember, if she had read it somewhere or not. But it seemed to fit him.  
  
But that was only her visual, the image, she kept of him in her head. It didn't have anything to do with his character. But she knew that she was wrong again, consciously wrong. She started to think that maybe Lane was right, maybe she was in denial. His appearance reflected his character. His way of talking, showed that he put thought in to his words. And that he talked in a way, to people, he thought made them feel comfortable. Like the soft tone he used with her. And she had to admit, that it did make her feel special. As if he really enjoyed every second with her. Which she now knew, he did.  
  
And the way his bottom lip slightly curved, reflected his sarcastic and amusing way, of looking at things and talking to people. What about his eyes ? Even they had something to tell about his individuality, as well as about his personality. His hard and indescribable eyes were that way, because they hid all the things he has seen from the rest of the world. And the honesty, that could always be found in his eyes, was the only emotion he dared to show. Because while he was growing up, he had learned to keep his word and never brake a promise. He was loyal to the ones he loved.  
  
And how could she forget about his hair.........so restless and uncontrollable. It almost seemed like he didn't care, but he did. He stood in front of the mirror until his chaos was ordered the way he liked it. Yep, another characterization of his own personal charm. He always had a plan, a goal, though it was sometimes unclear to strangers.  
  
Rory's expression suddenly saddened, the blue in her eyes tainted with confusion, hope and a certain surety. So she could describe Jess, big deal. She could do the same with Billy, if she wanted to. But not matter how many times she pictured Billy's image in her mind, it was never as clear as the one she had of Jess. Silently, she cursed herself for falling once again. It didn't matter, she would stop herself from falling. Jess wasn't going to be the one who caught her in the end, Billy was. Rory brought her eyes up, so she could meet Lane's. Lane sighed.  
  
Lane: ''What makes Jess so special ?''  
  
Rory smiled and answered without even thinking about it.  
  
R: ''His sarcastic intelligence.''  
  
Lane shot her a look of misunderstanding. And all Rory did was shrug. Maybe it didn't make sense to Lane, but to her........it was logical. Rory caught herself looking out the window again.  
  
R: ''Can I..........?''  
  
Lane: ''Like I said, go.''  
  
R: ''Are you sure ?''  
  
Lane: ''Irrefutably sure. We'll catch up whenever. We have the entire summer to polish our nails and shop.''  
  
R: ''Lane Kim, don't you dare go all girly on me.''  
  
Lane shrugged.  
  
Lane: ''I play drums, so people see my hands all the time. And getting a bottle of black nail polish, means actually going to a store, which is definitely shopping in my eyes.''  
  
R: ''That makes sense.''  
  
Lane: ''Only in our little world.''  
  
Rory smiled and took one more gulp of her coffee, before she got up.  
  
R: ''So, I'll talk to you soon.''  
  
Lane: ''Unless I'm busy.''  
  
R: ''Bye.''  
  
Lane: ''See ya. And throw a stone at Jess when you see him, kay ? Tell him Lane said hi.''  
  
R: ''You mean die ?''  
  
Lane: ''Exactly.''  
  
Rory shook her head and left the diner, heading in the direction of their 'crossroad'.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory reached the bridge with a content smile on her face, it was almost childish. As if she had just seen her very best friend for the first time in years. And maybe that was the reason why she was smiling. She and Jess always had some sort of relationship. Even the first time she talked to him, she had know that they were alike in some ways. And for a long time, he had been a close friend to her. Not like Lane of course. But in a reassuring way he was always there. Just like he was now. She studied his figure. He was sitting on the bridge, in the brilliant light of the sun. And he was catching the rays with his book, so even more light fell upon the pages of his novels, complicated with political and economical problems. The first time she had seen him like this, she hadn't want to disturb him. But now she knew that she could never disturb him, he had told her that himself. Besides he already knew that she was there, looking at him. Rory put her hands in her back pockets and walked over to him.  
  
R: ''So, I just heard an interesting, yet refreshing rumor.''  
  
J: ''What ? You just found out that the world isn't flat ?''  
  
He smirked and looked up at her. There was something playful about the way she was standing there, satisfied smile on her face and her hair up in a messy ponytail.  
  
R: ''All this time I thought, that I would fall of the face of the earth if I kept walking in a straight line too long.''  
  
She smiled and removed her hands from her pockets, before she sat down.  
  
J: ''Tell me about this fascinating rumor.''  
  
He glanced at Rory and went back to his book.  
  
R: ''I just heard from Luke that you're not working at the diner, yet you took my order today. Care to explain ?''  
  
Jess shrugged.  
  
J: ''I owe Luke that, cause this is the third time he took me in.''  
  
R: ''Ah, you grew a heart.''  
  
Though it was a harsh comment, Jess wasn't offended. It was just Rory's way of telling him that he really did have a soft spot for Luke.  
  
J: ''Just till the battery runs low.''  
  
He continued to read, but didn't miss the smile that was starting to form on her face, out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Rory smiled and reached for Jess' hand. She slowly laced her fingers with his, one by one. She figured that since she couldn't kiss or hug him, she could show her affection like this. Nothing romantic about the affection though. She just wanted to let him know, that she was glad that they were friend again.  
  
Jess followed her movements, wondering if it was meant as a friendly gesture. That was probable and most likely it. As soon as their hands were clasped together, he could feel their blood running together. It was in different veins, yet it ran so close together. His heartbeat slightly quickened, but returned to normal, as he felt a certain calmness come over him. That always happened when she was around. His worries seemed to be forgotten in the back of his mind and all he could focus on was her. Her face, her sweet melodious voice, basically every single thing about her captivated him in a way. He knew that their relationship hadn't been fair. But even though they had complications, their relationship had been beautiful. Like a the web of a spider, beautifully complicated.  
  
Suddenly he had the urge to be honest with her. She did deserve it after all. As he was forming the sentence in his mind, he unawarely started to rub the top of her hand with his thumb.  
  
J: ''Ror, can I tell you something ?''  
  
R: ''A secret ?''  
  
Jess smirked at her childish behavior and shrugged.  
  
J: ''Not really, but only Luke knows about this.''  
  
Rory's expression became serious again and she looked at him.  
  
R: ''I swear I won't tell the whole world, which means Mrs. Patty.''  
  
J: ''Thank you.''  
  
R: ''No prob.''  
  
A faint smile appeared on her face.  
  
R: ''Told you I'm a good searcher.''  
  
Jess rolled his eyes.  
  
J: ''You think a lot of yourself, don't you ?''  
  
R: ''Yep, it's all about me. Other people ? Who cares ?! Surely not me.''  
  
J: ''That must be why you always feel sorry for Kirk when his cat scratches him ?''  
  
R: ''He should just give the cat to Babette, though I'm not sure she would want Cat Kirk.''  
  
J: ''I have a feeling he would kill the other cats.''  
  
R: ''Okay, that's probably one of the most horrible images anyone has ever put in my head. Fix it, give me another image.''  
  
J: ''How about the time Taylor came walking into the diner wearing nothing but a...........''  
  
R: ''I would like to hear your secret now please ?''  
  
Jess smiled at her.  
  
J: ''After summer break's over, I'm...........I'm going back to Stars Hollow High.''  
  
R: ''Right, and I'm going to watch Lord of The Rings three times in a row.''  
  
J: ''I'm serious.''  
  
Rory turned her head and looked at him.  
  
R: ''You are serious, aren't you ?''  
  
Jess nodded.  
  
J: ''As serious as you when you're studying for a test.''  
  
R: ''That's great...........hey ! I just think it's important to study and get good grades, kay Einstein ?''  
  
Jess smiled at her.  
  
J: ''E=mc².''  
  
R: ''Jerk.''  
  
Jess softly laughed and watched her as she shyly lowered her eyes.  
  
R: ''It is great you know, you going back to school. Why ?''  
  
J: ''Cause I wanna be just as smart as you.''  
  
R: ''Yeah, well, you have to pass for that.''  
  
J: ''Huh, didn't know that.''  
  
Suddenly they heard someone cough and they both looked up. Rory's eyes started to sparkle and a grin appeared on her face.  
  
R: ''Dean !''  
  
Rory let go of Jess' hand and ran over to Dean, so she could hug him.  
  
R: ''What are you doing here ?''  
  
D: ''Well, I wanted to talk. Is that possible or...........?''  
  
R: ''Yeah, of course.''  
  
Rory turned and smiled at Jess.  
  
R: ''Is it okay if I.............?''  
  
Jess nodded.  
  
D: ''Hey Jess.''  
  
J: ''Hey.''  
  
He nodded and watched them walk away. The old jealousy was returning, but quickly faded. Dean and Rory had been over for a while now and Rory wasn't the kind of girl to go back to her ex-boyfriend. Jess shook his head as they disappeared. He didn't have a chance, not anymore............  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Three things I have to say. One, I'm really sorry about mixing Billy with Brian. It's just that they each have five lettres and begin with a b........sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again. Second, THANKS AGAIN FOR THE REVIEWS!!! And third, writing this chapter made me realize that Jess/Milo is even cuter than I thought he was. :-) 


	8. Hauntings in the wrong places

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. Except for Billy. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! Long story short. Thanks again for the reviews, they were wonderful! I'm very grateful. This chapter is kind of a filler, though there are a couple of important parts in it. And Billy seems perfect right now............but he isn't. You'll find out eventually! ;-) Thanks! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
D: ''So, you and Jess are still together ?''  
  
Rory threw a glance over her shoulder at Jess. She felt guilty about just leaving him there, but she hadn't seen Dean in a while. And even though there was nothing between them anymore, they were still friends. The last time she talked with Dean was right before she left for Venice. He has asked her why she was going there, cause he hadn't known about Jess leaving Stars Hollow. That was how much they avoided each other after she and Jess had started dating. Except for the fight of course........Rory saw how concentrated Jess was on his book and smiled.  
  
R: ''No, actually we just became friends again.''  
  
Dean shot her a puzzled look. Rory smiled again.  
  
R: ''How about we make a deal........?''  
  
D: ''Does it involve a bribe ?''  
  
Rory ignored his comment.  
  
R: ''You tell me what you're doing here and in return, I'll give you the 411 on my life..........over coffee at Luke's.''  
  
Dean chuckled and nodded.  
  
D: ''Lindsay wanted to see her parents again and I wanted to see my parents, so we just decided to spend summer break in Stars Hollow.''  
  
R: ''That was a smart move.''  
  
Dean smiled.  
  
R: ''You know, Lane's spending her summer here too.''  
  
Dean shrugged.  
  
D: ''Guess Stars Hollow does grow on you.''  
  
After that, they walked in silence for a while. Rory was amazed at this, cause this was the first time they had just spend time together without talking. Rory observed Dean from the corner of her eye. He still looked the same. He was still way taller than her and his hair still covered both his ears and hung in his eyes. Yet he seemed different, more mature in a way. She still couldn't believe he was getting married.......to Lindsay. They did make a cute couple though. Suddenly Dean stopped and looked at Rory.  
  
D: ''You wanna know the real reason why we're back ?''  
  
Rory placed her hands in her back pockets and faced Dean.  
  
D: ''Lindsay and me are getting married in Stars Hollow.''  
  
Dean carefully scanned Rory's face, trying to guess her reaction. For a second or two, her face remained emotionless, but all of a sudden she started to smile.  
  
R: ''Wow, that's great. Congratulations !''  
  
Dean lowered his eyes for a split second, hiding the hint of sadness that was visible in his eyes.  
  
D: ''Thanks.''  
  
He looked up at her again, happy smile in place.  
  
R: ''So, do I get an invitation ?''  
  
Dean shook his head and smiled.  
  
D: ''The whole town's invited.''  
  
R: ''That's great, everyone will love it. When is it anyway ?''  
  
D: ''In a week.''  
  
He saw the surprise on Rory's face and gestured for her to listen before she said anything else.  
  
D: ''I know it's fast, but we have been planning this for almost a year now. We've got everything covered, except for some minor details.''  
  
R: ''What am I going to wear ?! I mean I never went to a wedding before. Well, I went to Sookie's wedding, but that was different. She picked out our clothes, well mom did, but I didn't have to worry about it. And now.........''  
  
D: ''You'll look beautiful in anything.''  
  
He briefly locked eyes with her, trying to find a suitable name for the color of her eyes. Cause, frankly, blue didn't even come close to describing it. Rory lowered her eyes and wondered why he was looking at her like that.  
  
R: ''So, where's Lindsay ?''  
  
Dean softly laughed.  
  
D: ''She's probably making sure everything at the wedding's color coordinated.''  
  
R: ''Ah, I forgot, you're marrying that kind of girl.''  
  
D: ''Excuse me ?''  
  
R: ''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that.''  
  
D: ''I never thought I would ever hear you put people in boxes like that.''  
  
R: ''I wasn't.............well, maybe I was. But I'm sorry.''  
  
D: ''What box would you put yourself in ?''  
  
Rory bit her lip and pretended to think about it for a while.  
  
R: ''As not that kind of girl.''  
  
D: ''Clever.''  
  
Dean held open the door for her and they went into Luke's diner. They sat down at an empty table and almost immediately, Luke showed up to take their order.  
  
Luke: ''Weren't you just in here ?''  
  
R: ''Oh, that was one of my clones. Can I have another coffee please ?''  
  
Luke: ''And this would be your..........?''  
  
R: ''Third. Three's my lucky number.''  
  
Luke: ''How many are you planning on having after this one ?''  
  
R: ''Six more.''  
  
Luke: ''You're just like your mom. You can never answer a question seriously.''  
  
R: ''But I am, answering it seriously. See three's my lucky number, so if I multiply three and three I get nine. And if you divide nine by three, you get ?''  
  
Luke: ''Three. I can't believe you actually put thought in to this. And what do you want ?''  
  
Luke finally looked over at Dean.  
  
Luke: ''What are you doing here ?''  
  
D: ''Having soda apparently.''  
  
Luke: ''Don't be smart with me.''  
  
R: ''He's spending summer break here with his family Luke.''  
  
Luke gave Dean a skeptic look and nodded.  
  
Luke: ''I'll be right back with your soda and venom.''  
  
R: ''Thanks Luke.''  
  
When she looked up, she caught Dean looking at her.  
  
R: ''What ?''  
  
D: ''I was just wondering when you're going to start talking.''  
  
R: ''Have you ever heard of patience ?''  
  
D: ''Have you ever heard of making conversation to get rid of the weird silence between people ?''  
  
R: ''Have you ever heard of coffee ?''  
  
D: ''I have heard of the phenomenon and I also heard about this hyper girl, who happens to live in Stars Hollow. And al she does is sit in a little diner and drink coffee.''  
  
R: ''Hey, I read too.''  
  
Dean smiled, just as Luke came back with their order. Dean paid for their drinks and patiently waited for Luke to leave, so Rory could start talking.  
  
R: ''I don't really know where to begin.''  
  
D: ''Just start at the ending, I'm sure it will make much more sense that way.''  
  
Rory shot him a look.  
  
R: ''Well, after the fight between you and Jess, at the party..............''  
  
She looked at Dean, to see if he remembered. He just nodded.  
  
R: ''After that Jess and I didn't really get to talk much, cause he moved to Venice. I remember seeing him sitting in the bus and he was surprised to see me. He thought that he could just leave without me knowing. And in a way he did, I guess.''  
  
D: ''Sorry.''  
  
R: ''It's okay, we're friends again now.......... Anyway remember when you asked me why I was going to Venice ?''  
  
Dean nodded.  
  
D: ''And now I know why you went. You visited Jess...........''  
  
R: ''Yep. I guess I wanted closure or something, didn't get it by the way. Not really. I mean, I went there to figure out why he left and if we were still..........together.''  
  
Underneath the table, Dean clenched and unclenched his fist.  
  
R: ''We were. And we had a fun time at Venice, he even talked to me about a couple of things. But when I left.......I broke up with him. And we decided to stay friends, which didn't work by the way. We didn't keep in contact. You can imagine how shocked I was when I saw him again. In Stars Hollow of all places. At first we acted real cold to each other, especially when Jess met Billy........''  
  
D: ''Billy ?''  
  
R: ''I'll get there. Anyway I talked to Jess after that, apologized for not keeping in touch and now we're friends again. And that was the first story.''  
  
Rory took a sip of her coffee and looked at Dean.  
  
D: ''Let me guess, the second is about Billy ?''  
  
Rory nodded and smiled as she thought about Billy.  
  
R: ''I met Billy at Yale. He was smart, caring and funny.........in a way. We became friends first and hung out a couple of times, study together and stuff. Then he asked me out on a date and it just clicked.''  
  
There was another silence between them as Rory took another sip of her coffee.  
  
R: ''And he loves me.''  
  
Rory didn't really know why she told Dean that. Maybe to make it clear to him that she was happy. Besides she didn't like the way Dean kept looking at her. But then again, they hadn't seen each other in a while.  
  
D: ''Do you love him ?''  
  
Rory shrugged and drank her coffee, hoping that Dean wouldn't ask any more questions. Sure, she cared about Billy. Definitely in more than a platonic way, but love was a big word in her dictionary and it meant a lot. But one day she would say it to him, she just wasn't ready yet.  
  
Dean checked his watch and finished his soda in one gulp.  
  
D: ''I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I got to take care of some things.''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
R: ''It was nice seeing you again.''  
  
D: ''Same here.''  
  
Dean looked at Rory and got up.  
  
D: ''I'll see you around.''  
  
R: ''Yep, unless I suddenly become invisible or something. And say hi to Lindsay for me.''  
  
D: ''I will, bye.''  
  
Rory quickly finished her coffee. As she left the diner, she got her car keys out of her pocket. She still had the car Dean build her. She didn't take it to college with her, but she did still drive it. It was a car and she wasn't going to stop using it, just because Dean had build it for her. Besides her mom had made up this saying. ''Never return presents, even if they're not meant for you.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
At the Dragonfly, she parked her car and ran up the steps, that would lead her into the lobby. The lobby was painted in warm yellow tint and it had light wooden floors. It was very homey with the large sofa, the soft rug and the colorful flowers, that were all over the place. She walked over to the reception, where her mother was working. The reception was Rory's favorite place, because it was placed right in front of two large windows. It was beautiful.  
  
R: ''Hey mom.''  
  
Lorelai stopped typing and looked up.  
  
L: ''Hey sweets, give mommy a kiss.''  
  
Rory leaned over the counter and kissed her mom on her cheek.  
  
L: ''So, what brings you to the Fly ?''  
  
Rory raised her eyebrow and looked at her mom.  
  
R: ''The Fly ?''  
  
L: ''Yeah, short for Dragonfly.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and joined her mom behind the counter.  
  
R: ''Guess who are back in Stars Hollow ?''  
  
L: ''The president ?''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes again.  
  
R: ''No.''  
  
L: ''Ooooo is it Johnny Depp, cause he can stay at the Dragonfly if he wants. For free, well maybe not for free, but I think I can come up with a deal.''  
  
R: ''Okay, that's gross.''  
  
L: ''That's what you get for letting me guess.''  
  
R: ''Lane's back.''  
  
L: ''And you didn't bring her over here ? Why do I even try ?''  
  
R: ''And Dean's back too.''  
  
L: ''Did he bring Quincy with him ?''  
  
R: ''It's Lindsay mom and yes. They have decided to get married in Stars Hollow.''  
  
L: ''Are we invited ?''  
  
R: ''Yep, the entire town is.''  
  
L: ''Then I'm happy for them.''  
  
R: ''It's in a week.''  
  
L: ''That doesn't give us a lot of time to shop. Do you think they could postpone it for another week ?''  
  
Just then the telephone rang and Rory picked up.  
  
R: ''Good afternoon, Dragonfly Inn, how can I help you ?.................Let me check.''  
  
Rory walked over to the computer and started to scan through the booked rooms.  
  
R: ''I'm sorry, but we seemed to be completely booked..............Okay, thank you. Bye.''  
  
Rory hung up and found her mom staring at her, with a grin on her face.  
  
R: ''Do I even wanna know ?''  
  
L: ''I found a new Michell ! Try to talk with a French accent.''  
  
R: ''I can't.''  
  
L: ''Yes you can. Just repeat after me, I want some french fries.''  
  
Rory laughed and shook her head. Lorelai's cell phone went off.  
  
L: ''Why don't you go into the kitchen and say hi to Sookie.''  
  
R: ''Why ? Do you have a secret boyfriend ?''  
  
L: ''I guess you could call him that, but all he really does is moan and..........''  
  
R: ''I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Lorelai hung up with a sigh. Her mom had this unexplainable talent to ruin people's days with one simple phone call. Lorelai put her cell phone down and headed for the kitchen. In the kitchen, she found Sookie scanning Rory.  
  
S: ''She grew. She's taller than the last time I saw her.''  
  
L: ''Soon she'll be a giant.''  
  
Sookie giggled.  
  
S: ''A tiny one.''  
  
Rory smiled, but stopped when she saw her mom's serious face.  
  
R: ''What's wrong ?''  
  
L: ''Remember the smile I have on my face when I torture Luke for coffee ?''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
L: ''Well, I hope you took a picture, cause it isn't coming back. My mother just called and took away my rainbow after the rain.''  
  
S: ''I'm going to check on my desert.''  
  
R: ''What did she do that made your rainbow disappear ?''  
  
L: ''She asked, well ordered, us to come to dinner tonight.''  
  
R: ''But it's not Friday.''  
  
L: ''Au revoir rainbow.''  
  
R: ''Did she change the Friday night dinner rule ?''  
  
Lorelai shook her head.  
  
L: ''We're still on for Friday, but she couldn't wait to see you, so instead of one dinner, we get two dinners this week.''  
  
R: ''Poor rainbow.''  
  
L: ''Let's just hope it rains tonight.''  
  
Rory smiled.  
  
S: ''Rory ! Come over and taste this !''  
  
R: ''Taste what ?!''  
  
L: ''It's probably growing potion.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Lorelai and Rory were standing in front of Emily and Richard's mansion. Lorelai was looking up at the house as if she had never seen it before.  
  
L: ''I swear this house is haunted.''  
  
R: ''How come I have never seen one single ghost ?''  
  
L: ''Uh...hello. Do you remember who live here ? The ghost probably got scared and ran away.''  
  
R: ''Then theoretically it's not haunted.''  
  
L: ''Yes it is. It's haunted by my parents.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and rang the doorbell. A nice looking woman opened the door.  
  
L: ''Hi we're the ghostbusters.''  
  
The girl just gave them a weird look.  
  
R: ''We're Rory and Lorelai Gilmore.''  
  
T: ''Ah, I'm Theresa.''  
  
L: ''New maid. How long will you be sticking around ?''  
  
T: ''I'm aiming for two weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are expecting you in the dining room.''  
  
R: ''Thank you.''  
  
L: ''Yeah, good luck with the two weeks thing.''  
  
Lorelai followed Rory into the dining room.  
  
E: ''You're late.''  
  
L: ''Good evening to you too mom.''  
  
E: ''Why are you late ?''  
  
L: ''Oh, you know, traffic, ghosts, the usual.''  
  
E: ''Well, why don't you bring your ghosts friends with you next time.''  
  
L: ''They're already here.''  
  
E: ''Excuse me ?''  
  
L: ''Nothing mom, dinner looks delicious.''  
  
E: ''Why thank you. Theresa's Spanish, so she prepared one of her favorite recipes.''  
  
R: ''Hey grandpa, grandma.''  
  
E: ''Rory, you look lovely.''  
  
L: ''Hey, what about me ?''  
  
Richard: ''You look lovely too Lorelai.''  
  
L: ''Thanks daddy.''  
  
The talk during dinner consisted mostly of the topics, Billy and Yale. And it finally ended with Emily saying that she liked Billy, though she thought he had strange hair and a weird sense of humor. At this comment Lorelai immediately looked up.  
  
L: ''What's your version of funny ?''  
  
E: ''Oh, you know.''  
  
L: ''No, I don't. Make a joke.''  
  
E: ''Lorelai, eat your desert will you.''  
  
L: ''Come one mom, I can't judge your sense of humor if you don't tell me a joke.''  
  
E: ''Okay, I will.''  
  
Emily put down her fork and looked at Lorelai.  
  
E: ''Why did the chicken cross the road ?''  
  
Lorelai made a face and Rory jumped in before she could say anything.  
  
R: ''I don't know, why ?''  
  
E: ''To get to the other side.''  
  
Richard: ''That's funny dear.''  
  
L: ''Haha.''  
  
E: ''Excuse me ?''  
  
L: ''Nothing, the desert is great.''  
  
Lorelai and Rory exchanged a look before they went back to their desert.  
  
*~*~*  
  
L: ''I can't believe how lame my mother was tonight.''  
  
Lorelai closed the door behind her and took off her jacket.  
  
R: ''She was just making jokes, on your request might I add.''  
  
L: ''Lame ones and don't blame that on me, she was the one who kept going.''  
  
Lorelai walked over to the answering machine, while Rory took off her jacket. Lorelai pushed a button and listened to the first of two messages.  
  
E: ''Lorelai, it's me. I just thought of two more jokes...............''  
  
Lorelai immediately deleted the message and listened to the other one.  
  
B: ''Hey angel heart................''  
  
L: ''Sweetie, it's for you !''  
  
Rory appeared behind her mother.  
  
L: ''I'm going to change. We're having a movie night right ?''  
  
Rory nodded and waited for her mom to disappear upstairs before she listened to the message.  
  
B: ''Hey angel heart, it's me. I don't really like to talk to a machine, cause I tend to babble. And I just think it's plain weird to talk to someone when that someone isn't there. So, call me back ASAP, okay ? Thanks. Love you.''  
  
Rory deleted the message and smiled. It was nice to hear his voice. Though his voice did sound different somehow, it was almost like he was out of breath or something. Rory shook her head, grabbed the phone and went into her room. She dialed a number, while she took off her shoes.  
  
J: ''Yeah ?''  
  
R: ''You know, you should really stop answering your phone like that. I mean, I know it's you, cause I know you, but what if one day someone calls, who has never heard your voice before ?''  
  
J: ''Hey Rory.''  
  
R: ''It's okay that I called right ? I mean, I'm not bothering you or anything ? Cause I can just hang up and talk to you tomorrow or something ?''  
  
Rory removed one arm out of her sweater and was now trying to remove the other without dropping the phone.  
  
J: ''Do you realize, that you could have told me the reason why you called, in the same amount of time it took you to say that ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah, hold on. I'm putting the phone down for a sec.''  
  
She put the phone down, took off her sweater, pulled on her fave baby tee and grabbed the phone again.  
  
R: ''Okay, you still there ?''  
  
J: ''No. What were you doing anyway ?''  
  
R: ''Uhm........I was trying to take off my sweater without dropping the phone, but it didn't work.''  
  
J: ''Uhuh.''  
  
R: ''So, I called you to apologize. I'm sorry I kinda ditched you today. It's just that I haven't talked to Dean in a while and we're still friends. Only friends, sort of anyway. He just wanted to talk to me, cause he didn't want the whole town to know that he's getting married here in Stars Hollow, in a week........Wait........I wasn't supposed to tell you that.''  
  
J: ''Hey, just take comfort in the fact that I don't care.''  
  
R: ''Very reassuring. So, do you accept my apology ?''  
  
J: ''Depends.''  
  
R: ''On what ?''  
  
J: ''Are you going to change out of your pants now ?''  
  
R: ''See you tomorrow Jess.''  
  
Rory smiled and hung up. She threw the phone on her bed and changed into a pair of sweat pants. After that she went in to the living room. Her mom was already sitting on the couch.  
  
L: ''Did you call Billy ?''  
  
R: ''Uh.......yeah. He says hi.''  
  
L: ''How thoughtful.''  
  
R: ''Yeah, thoughtful.''  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I know, not a lot happened. But it was a filler. Dean's wedding is the main event right now and I'll probably add one or two more chapters before I'll get to that. Did anyone notice something weird going on with Dean btw ? ;-) 


	9. You've got your cap on backwards

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! I wanted to finish this story before school started, but I don't think I'm going to make it. So after next Monday, the updates will be less frequent. I'll try to update as often as I can though.........and review as many stories as I can. :-) I WILL finish 'You're being watched' before school stars however. One or two more chapters till the conclusion.  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory opened the door and stepped into the diner, the cheery tune of the bell matching her high spirits. The diner was half full, just the way Rory liked it. She didn't like it crowded, because she felt as if everyone was playing close attention to everyone, and she didn't like it empty, because it was too easy to feel uncomfortable in that silence. But half full was just right. There were enough people to make her feel comfortable and notice her cheerfulness, but there wasn't a crowd to stare at her. Rory smiled and tried to find a reason why she was so happy this morning. The only reason that came to mind, was the phone call that she had with Jess last night, but she quickly declined it.  
  
After all that couldn't be it. Maybe it was just the fact, that it was such a beautiful day. Clear sky, colored in a bright shade of blue, the sun stood high in the horizon, caressing it's surroundings with his rays. Or maybe she just felt happy and carefree, because it was one of those days. One of those days, where you wake up, and have a content smile on your face, without really knowing the reason why it was there. If only she would open her eyes and stopped being in denial, she would see, that her reason, was just upstairs.  
  
R: ''Morning Luke.''  
  
Rory made her way over to the diner, smile still decorating her face, and sat down on one of the stools. Luke quickly looked at her and gave her a small smile, that turned into a genuine one. No one could remain cold and serious when Rory had one of 'those days'.  
  
Luke: ''Hey Rory. Where's your mom ?''  
  
R: ''She's still at home. She refused to leave the house without her 'I'm on cloud 8 now, but I'm moving up to cloud 9 soon' t-shirt.''  
  
Luke: ''Couldn't she just put on another shirt ?''  
  
Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''Once she has her mind set on wearing something particular, it's no use to tell her otherwise.''  
  
Luke just nodded. He was used to Lorelai's clothing obsessions. Honestly, he didn't care much about close. Besides anything that she wore looked good on her. Even a pair of faded jeans and an oversized sweater looked good on her. He poured Rory some coffee and looked at her.  
  
Luke: ''So, how are you and Jess doing ?''  
  
Rory shot Luke a confused look, pretending not to know what he was talking about and hoping that he would end this topic before it really started.  
  
Luke: ''I know it must have been hard to see him again. Especially since he............and he...........''  
  
Rory looked up at Luke and smiled at his attempt of a heart to heart.  
  
R: ''Since he didn't call or write after I went to see him in Venice ?''  
  
Luke nodded and put a cup of coffee down in front of her. She laced her fingers around the cup, still with a smile on her face.  
  
Luke: ''He's sorry you know ?''  
  
Rory nodded.  
  
R: ''Yeah, I know. We sort of talked about it and I don't blame him. I mean, I didn't keep in contact either. I tried, but I couldn't. It was too hard, especially with Billy and Yale.''  
  
Luke: ''I understand, but he's not so bad. He even offered to go back to school, did you know that ?''  
  
Rory nodded and studied Luke's face as he told her this. His eyes were shining and he had a proud smile on his face.  
  
R: ''Jess told me.''  
  
Rory lowered her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. Luke glanced at her, his smile now not only existing of proudness, but also of thankfulness. He was thankful for the fact that Rory gave Jess another chance. He had heard them talking on the phone last night and he had never heard Jess be so at ease with someone.  
  
Luke: ''It's great that you two are talking again.''  
  
Rory smile's grew wider. Luke just described the reason of her mood today. She was happy, because it was great to be able to talk to Jess again.  
  
R: ''Luke, is Jess up already ?''  
  
Luke shrugged.  
  
Luke: ''I don't know.''  
  
R: ''Would it be okay if I............?''  
  
Luke nodded and smiled as he turned around. Rory grabbed her coffee and went up to Luke and Jess' apartment. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. After several more knocks, she opened the door and went into the apartment. Immediately she heard the shower run. She spotted Jess' empty and unmade bed and walked over to it. She put her coffee down on his bedside table and made his bed. Probably the first time in ages. Books were lying all over the room, every book characterizing a piece of his soul. The book on his bedside table, next to her coffee, caught her interest. She took it and sat down on his bed, Indian style. She continued to read where Jess had left off, keeping her index finger between where Jess finished reading and the pages she had read. She was so consumed in the book, that she didn't even look up when the shower was turned off or when the door of the bathroom opened.  
  
J: ''What are you doing ?''  
  
He had been watching her for a couple of minutes now and still she hadn't acknowledged his presence. He found it quite amusing. Give the girl a book and you could rob her entire house empty.  
  
Rory looked up at him with a playful look in her eyes. She quickly scanned him up and down before she rested her gaze on his eyes. Thank God he was fully dressed, that made this situation just a little more bearable.  
  
R: ''Reading.''  
  
Jess' eyes softened and his cracked shield started to crumble. All because of the way she said that one simple word. She made it sound as if she did this every day.  
  
J: ''Obviously.''  
  
Jess gave her one more look before he walked over to the mirror and started doing his hair. Rory looked at him, partly with amusement and partly with adoration as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing some strands to the side to give it an 'edge'. Rory softly laughed.  
  
R: ''You spend more time in front of the mirror than me.''  
  
J: ''Unlike you, I don't jump out of bed with every hair in place.''  
  
R: ''I don't jump...........I bounce.''  
  
Jess looked at her in the mirror and smirked. Rory returned to the page where Jess had left off and carefully put the book down. She got up and started to walk over to him.  
  
R: ''You're doing it all wrong.''  
  
Jess turned around and raised his eyebrows.  
  
J: ''Then show me the light.''  
  
Rory stopped in front of him and briefly met his eyes, before she ran her hands through his hair. She giggled when she saw what she had done. She had messed his hair up, but too much. A couple of strands were even hanging over his right eyebrow. Jess looked at himself in the mirror and shot her a fake smile.  
  
J: ''Gee thanks.''  
  
R: ''Don't worry I've got just the thing.''  
  
She grabbed one of Luke's baseball caps that was lying around and put it on Jess' head. She looked at him and smiled. She liked the way his face was partly hidden by the cap and how a just a couple of strands of his hair were visible. Jess shook his head, took off the had and placed it backwards on Rory's head. She saw him smirking and turned her head to look in the mirror.  
  
R: ''What ? I can't look.........that horrible !''  
  
J: ''Caps aren't your thing.''  
  
Rory pouted and turned the cap around, so it was now hiding her eyes. Jess looked at her. He actually thought the cap suited her. It made her look playful and slightly boyish in a cute way.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Luke came in to the apartment.  
  
Luke: ''What's going on ? Is that my cap ?''  
  
Rory looked at Luke from underneath her cap.  
  
R: ''I have a bad hair day, so I covered it up with one of your caps.''  
  
She pulled off the cap and smiled innocently at Luke. And though she seemed quite serious, there was a certain sparkle in her eyes. Jess turned to Luke.  
  
J: ''So that's why you wear a cap every day ?''  
  
Luke frowned and looked from Jess to Rory.  
  
Luke: ''Rory, you're mom's here.''  
  
Rory nodded and smiled at Luke. Luke mumbled something that sounded like okay and left. She caught Jess looking at her.  
  
R: ''What ?''  
  
J: ''I think I like you better with the cap.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and went to get her coffee, running a hand through her hair on the way. She finished half of her coffee, as Jess fixed his hair with some gel.  
  
J: ''There I'm all pretty.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes again and followed him downstairs.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory jumped off the last step and entered the diner. Her mom, who was sitting at the counter, looked up and shot her a clueless look.  
  
R: ''Hey mom.''  
  
L: ''Sweets, what were you doing up there ?''  
  
Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''Jess needed help with his hair.''  
  
Lorelai glanced at Jess suspiciously, but didn't say anything. Rory and Jess exchanged a look before Jess started to take orders and Rory sat down. Lorelai didn't miss the exchange and threw a sideways glance at her daughter.  
  
L: ''Since when are you and Jess so friendly towards each other again ?''  
  
Rory shrugged. She didn't wanna talk about it. She had thought and talked about it enough. She took a sip of her cold coffee. But she ignored the fact that it was cold, she was focusing on her patience, trying not to snap and tell her mom to mind her own business. Lorelai decided to drop the subject when she studied her daughter's reaction.  
  
L: ''You know, Dean and Lindsay booked a room at the Dragonfly.''  
  
Rory nodded. Dean and Lindsay probably didn't wanna spend one week apart from each other. That was so.............nauseating.  
  
R: ''How's Lindsay ?''  
  
L: ''Still blond.''  
  
Rory laughed and looked at her mom.  
  
R: ''You want some help at the Fly today ?''  
  
Lorelai nodded and smiled.  
  
L: ''Sure, we could always use an extra pair of hands.''  
  
R: ''You mean a maid ?''  
  
L: ''Hey, it can be glamorous. Just look at Jennifer Lopez in 'Maid in Manhattan'.  
  
Rory chose not to response and finished her coffee instead.  
  
R: ''Done.''  
  
L: ''Two coffees to go Luke.''  
  
Luke gave her a look.  
  
Luke: ''You just had coffee.''  
  
L: ''Yeah, but we need more. Besides it's not for us, it's...............''  
  
R: ''For the car.''  
  
L: ''Yeah, for the car. See, instead of fuel, my car runs on coffee.''  
  
Luke sighed and gave them two coffees to go, arguing would get him nowhere. Lorelai thanked him and got up. Rory did the same and looked at Jess as he appeared behind the counter.  
  
R: ''Your hair looks terrible.''  
  
J: ''Bye.''  
  
Rory sweetly smiled at him.  
  
R: ''Ah, did I hit a nerve ?''  
  
Jess shot her a stern look. Trying to contain his urge to smirk.  
  
R: ''Bye.''  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory sighed and leaned against the counter. She had been answering the phone for about half an hour and already it was the most boring thing she had ever done. The people, on the other end of the line, were annoying and couldn't be satisfied. Between the phone calls she had surfed the net and checked her e-mail, but since she didn't care much for that, it became another drag. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and started to head for the kitchen, leaving one of Lorelai's employees to answer the phone.  
  
S: ''Hey sugar. I didn't know you were here.''  
  
Sookie was just putting the finishing touches on one of her famous breakfast trays.  
  
R: ''I was just helping, answering the phone and stuff. But it got pretty..........''  
  
S: ''Boring ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah.''  
  
S: ''Lorelai made me stand guard by the phone once. But after the first three calls I got so boring that I started to answer the phone in funny little voices.''  
  
Sookie giggled as she lifted up the tray.  
  
S: ''Could you do me a favor hon ? Could you be an angel and bring this up to room 103 ?''  
  
Rory nodded and took the tray from Sookie. She looked at the bacon and scrambled eggs.  
  
R: ''Isn't it a little late for breakfast ?''  
  
Sookie shrugged.  
  
S: ''The couple woke up late.''  
  
Rory nodded and went up to room 103, carrying the tray. She softly knocked on the door and patiently waited for someone to open it. After a couple of seconds the door flew open and she was greeted by a half naked Dean. He was only wearing a pair of boxers.  
  
R: ''Uhm.........hey. I got your breakfast.''  
  
Dean looked surprised when he saw her, but that quickly faded.  
  
D: ''I didn't know you..............''  
  
Rory shrugged and handed him the tray.  
  
R: ''I'm just helping out my mom.''  
  
Dean took the tray and locked eyes with her.  
  
D: ''Thanks. I better get back.''  
  
R: ''Yeah, of course. See you around.''  
  
She turned around and left, but not after catching a glimpse of Lindsay, wearing only her underwear and a pink tank top.  
  
Rory hurried down the stairs, a little embarrassed by what she just witnessed. She ran into her mother in the lobby and told her what she just saw.  
  
L: ''Well they must have had fun last night...........and again this morning.''  
  
Rory grimaced and went back to the counter. At least answering phone calls was safe.  
  
*~*~*  
  
After a couple of more hours answering the phone, Lorelai and Rory headed home. Once they were home Lorelai ordered pizza while Rory checked the messages on the machine. There was another message from Billy, telling her about his day and finishing with saying 'I love you' and asking her to call him. Rory quickly deleted the message and took the phone from her mom as soon as she was done.  
  
L: ''Who are you going to call ?''  
  
R: ''Billy. I have to call him. I wanted to do that this morning, but I forgot.''  
  
L: ''I thought you called him last night ?''  
  
Rory turned towards her mother.  
  
R: ''Forgive me mother, for I have sinned.''  
  
L: ''But I heard you talking to someone last night.''  
  
R: ''I called Jess.''  
  
L: ''Well, apparently Billy is fading into the background.''  
  
R: ''No, no he's not. I just..........I don't know. I wanted to talk to Jess.''  
  
L: ''Why ?''  
  
R: ''Cause I kind of bailed on him when Dean wanted to talk to me.''  
  
L: ''So, you only called him to apologize ?''  
  
Rory sighed.  
  
R: ''Mom, you don't have to worry about anything. Me and Jess just started to work on our friendship again and I didn't wanna screw it up with one small thing.''  
  
Lorelai gave her a skeptic look and nodded.  
  
L: ''Okay. I'll call you when the pizza arrives. I think Billy's waiting.''  
  
Rory smiled and went into her room with the phone. She sat down on her bed and started to dial a number, but stopped when she realized she was dialing the number of the diner. Rory sighed and dialed another number. This time it was the correct one.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Thank you for your (too) kind reviews! :-) I mean it, I loved every word. I'll probably add one more chapter before I move forward to Dean's wedding. So.........just a little longer before the big finale! Thanks again for everything!!! :-) 


	10. Mix and Match

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. Except for Billy. All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! Sorry I made you guys wait a couple of days for the next update. But school's starting tomorrow and I'm really nervous, cause I'll be starting in a new class, with people I don't know...... Help !? Anyway since I don't want to miss any updates of your stories, I'll be updating in the weekends from now on. Unless I have enough spare time. That way I can keep R&R-ing all those amazing fics! Thanks again for everything!!! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
The next morning, Rory once again woke up with a content feeling. She lay cuddled underneath her covers. The sunlight faintly shining through her curtains and on to her covers. Last night's dream was still vague in her mind. She could only remember certain parts. Like Billy's playful curls, his coy smile, his warm and kind voice. Rory smiled. They had talked for almost forty minutes on the phone, just teasing each other. He missed her and couldn't bare to be without her one more day, so he was taking her out tonight. To some jazz club in Hartford. He was always surprising her like this. Rory yawned and stretched. After that she got up, put on her soft and comfy robe and went into the kitchen. There she found Lorelai, sitting at the table, with a large plate of different kind of poptarts in front of her.  
  
R: ''Hungry ?''  
  
Lorelai looked up at her daughter.  
  
L: ''I couldn't decide between strawberry and chocolate and then I saw the blueberry.............and this is the result.''  
  
Rory nodded and sat down. She was used to her mom's weird tactics and logic. Lorelai spotted the smile on her daughter's face.  
  
L: ''And why are you so happy this morning ?''  
  
Rory's smile got wider.  
  
R: ''I'm excited that Billy's taking me to a jazz club tonight.''  
  
Lorelai nodded, fully understanding her excitement. Rory had never been to a jazz club before. Lorelai had to give Billy credit for caring so much about Rory. He was so sweet to her, always thinking of new ways to surprise her.  
  
L: ''So excited that you can't hide it ?''  
  
Rory shot her a look, but couldn't remain serious for even the slightest second. Lorelai didn't say anything and grabbed a poptart.  
  
L: ''Does this mean we're going shopping for something jazzy, pussy cat ?''  
  
Rory nodded and yawned again.  
  
R: ''Luke's first ?''  
  
L: ''I am truly offended by that question.''  
  
R: ''Uhuh, eat your poptart.''  
  
L: ''Strawberry poptart.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes as Lorelai took a bite of her poptart. She grimaced.  
  
L: ''Strawberry should be replaced with ancient crap.''  
  
Rory softly laughed and got up.  
  
R: ''I'm going to take a shower.''  
  
Lorelai nodded and reached for a another poptart, chocolate this time.  
  
*~*~*  
  
At the diner, Lorelai and Rory, were greeted by Jess instead of Luke.  
  
L: ''Where's Luke ?''  
  
Jess looked up from his book long enough to nod at them.  
  
J: ''Top of the morning to you too Lorelai.''  
  
Lorelai shot him an impatient look. She still didn't really trust the kid. First he ruined Rory and Dean's relationship and when he finally found his way into her daughter's heart, he left without saying a word. She had to admit, that he wasn't as bad as she had expected. And she trusted Rory's judgement, so if she believed Jess was a good person, then so did she.  
  
J: ''He's upstairs.''  
  
Lorelai nodded and headed over to the stairs.  
  
J: ''But........''  
  
L: ''Does it say Jess' diner.............?''  
  
Jess scowled.  
  
L: ''No, it says Luke's diner, so therefor the owner should be here.''  
  
And with that Lorelai went upstairs. Rory saw Jess smiling.  
  
R: ''Why are your lips formed in that unusual curve ?''  
  
Jess briefly met her eyes.  
  
J: ''Luke's in the shower.''  
  
Rory narrowed her eyes.  
  
R: ''You are evil.''  
  
J: ''Oh yeah. Are you interested in selling your soul ?''  
  
R: ''No, but I am interested in coffee.''  
  
Rory smiled and sat down across from where he was standing. Jess sighed and shook his head as he poured her some coffee.  
  
R: ''Thank you.''  
  
Jess watched her as she drank her coffee, captivated by the way her throat moved when she swallowed. If only he could place his fingers on her throat and follow its movements. It would be a sensation for the both of them.  
  
Rory saw him looking at her and tried to meet his gaze, but she realized that they weren't locked on her eyes, but on her throat. She saw a dangerous flicker of passion in his eyes and wondered what he was thinking about. She casually put down her coffee and reached for her throat with her right hand. She could find nothing out of the ordinary there, except for the silver chain. She looked up and this time she did lock eyes with him. The dangerous flicker was gone and his usual expression was back. Jess lowered his eyes and started to read again, knowing that Rory was watching him.  
  
Suddenly Lorelai came running down the stairs, slightly blushing. She mumbled something about Luke being in the sower before she sat down.  
  
J: ''Was he well equipped ?''  
  
Lorelai shot him one of her cold death glares. Rory laughed, but stopped when Luke joined them.  
  
J: ''Hey uncle Luke.''  
  
Luke avoided Jess' gaze and quickly looked at Lorelai, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
Luke: ''Coffee ?''  
  
Lorelai nodded and silently drank her coffee.  
  
J: ''So.....what was up ?''  
  
Rory tried to remain from laughing, but couldn't. Lorelai got up while she finished her coffee in one big gulp.  
  
L: ''We've gotta go. We're going shopping.''  
  
Rory got up too and exchanged an amused look with Jess. Lorelai pointed at Jess.  
  
L: ''Thin ice mister.''  
  
Rory stifled a laugh as her mother almost pulled her out of the diner.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory quietly observed Billy. He was looking cuter than ever in his green sweatshirt and grey baggy pants. The sweatshirt was the first thing she noticed when he came to pick her up, because it matched his eyes perfectly. He brought her a rose, a white one. It matched her clothes, well her white tank top anyway. After an entire afternoon at the mall, she only bought a pair of suede pants to wear to the jazz club. It was a dark shade of brown. Very jazzy according to her mother. Rory smiled and looked at Billy again. At least she wasn't overdressed. Billy turned his head to look at her.  
  
B: ''What's on your mind ?''  
  
Rory smiled.  
  
R: ''You.''  
  
And she wasn't lying. He had been on her mind the entire afternoon. Billy seemed pleased with her answer and returned his eyes to the road. He reached for her leg and rested his hand on her upper thigh. Rory didn't move, though his hand felt like a snake, waiting to bite her.  
  
*~*~*  
  
At the jazz club, they sat down in one of the moody booths and had something to eat. The conversation consisted mostly off their vacation so far and Lorelai walking in on Luke in the shower. Never once did they talk about books, which annoyed Rory, but she ignored those feelings. Not everyone liked to read, not everyone was like Jess.  
  
After dinner they watched and listened as a live band preformed. Finally they started to play a slow song and the high harmonic melody of the piano filled the air around them. Billy convinced Rory to dance with him and they made there way over to the dance floor to dance.  
  
Rory immediately noticed that Billy had a intimate and personal way of dancing. He held her close and tight to him. Rory thought about the snake, only this time it was choking her. She shook her head, barely visible, to get rid of those foolish thoughts. All of a sudden there was a change in their dance routine. Billy lowered his hands and rested them on her hips and started to caress the flesh just above her waistband.  
  
He brought his head closer to her face and before she knew it, he was kissing her neck. Rory had to admit that she liked the way he slowly kissed her neck and took his time. Suddenly she felt his teeth against her neck and sink into her flesh, causing her to gasp with surprise. He gripped her hips tighter and went on kissing her. Swiftly moving his lips from her collarbone to her chin and finally landing on her lips. He kissed her hard and forced her mouth open, as if he didn't have the patience to wait for her approval. He roughly entered his tongue and pulled her even closer.  
  
Rory wanted to pull away and ask him why he was acting like this. She was used to his kisses being sweet. The dance ended and Billy broke the kiss. Rory smiled at him, pretending that everything was okay, and told him that they should leave. And they did. During the drive back to Stars Hollow, they didn't say anything. Rory lowered her gaze to his hand, that was resting on her thigh again, and wondered how it would have been if Jess had been with her instead of Billy.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory was relieved once she was out of Billy's car and reach. His hand on her thigh made her nervous, just like the dance. What did it mean ? Was he giving her a sign of some sort ? She didn't have a lot of experience in that area and it was extremely frustrating. She started to walk in the direction of her house, but didn't make it there. Instead she reached the bridge. Jess was indeed sitting on the bridge, smoking to her surprise. She walked over to him.  
  
R: ''Hey.''  
  
Jess looked at her, swiftly moving his eyes across her body, before meeting her eyes. She looked.......different. She had on a white tank top that made her look young and careless, a pair of dark brown suede pants, that hung low on her hips, black boots, that made her look taller and a light denim jacket, that lightly hugged her curves. She looked like her usual self, but still a little more sophisticated.  
  
J: ''You look different.''  
  
R: ''I look the same, I only ditched the jeans.''  
  
She sat down, not exactly knowing how to feel about the fact that Jess noticed that little change about her.  
  
J: ''So, what's with the difference ?''  
  
Rory glanced at him.  
  
R: ''Billy took me to a jazz club in Hartford.''  
  
Jess didn't say anything and just continue smoking. He liked being friends with Rory, though it wasn't enough for him, but he didn't want to know that she 'ditched her jeans' for Billy. Or the fact that the make-up on her face was also meant for Billy.  
  
R: ''Jess, can I ask you something ? It might sound silly and maybe I should know this, but.......''  
  
J: ''What is it ?''  
  
R: ''Well.............when you're dating someone is there...........''  
  
Rory lowered her eyes and looked at her hands, that were clasped together in her lap.  
  
R: ''After a certain amount of time are you expected to go...........further ?''  
  
Jess glanced at her, long enough to catch the serious expression on her face. He looked at the water as he took one last drag from his cigarette. He threw his cigarette in the water and looked at her.  
  
J: ''What happened ?''  
  
Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''Nothing, forget it.''  
  
She blushed and bit her lip. She couldn't believe she actually asked him that.  
  
J: ''Rory, what happened ?''  
  
Rory lowered her head, causing her hair to fall in front of her face.  
  
R: ''It's just that Billy and I were dancing and...........he started to act different. He...........bit me in my neck. And in the car............''  
  
Jess patiently listened to her as she tried to find a way to tell him about what happened. But she didn't have to. He had a very vivid imagination and he had a pretty good idea of what happened.  
  
J: ''Do you wanna go any further ?''  
  
He knew it was an extremely hard question to answer. Cause it was different in every relationship. It depended on the people, the time they have been together. Rory shrugged.  
  
R: ''I don't know. It's just weird. All of a sudden he's sweet and gentle and then he's......not.''  
  
Jess had to admit that she sounded pretty clueless. She expected every guy to be patient with her and respect her wishes, but reality was, a lot of them got fed up very quickly and just took what they wanted.  
  
R: ''I better get home. Thanks for listening.''  
  
She wanted to get up, but Jess locked his fingers around her wrist and pulled her back.  
  
J: ''Rory, there's no time limit.''  
  
R: ''Yeah.......''  
  
She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his.  
  
R: ''I knew that, but it's.........difficult, cause I care about him and..........''  
  
Rory smiled and shook her head. She was talking to her ex about her current boyfriend.  
  
R: ''Never mind, I'm sorry. This is probably the last thing you want to hear about.''  
  
J: ''Well, yeah. But I don't want you to get hurt.............''  
  
Rory smiled.  
  
R: ''I don't want me to get hurt either.''  
  
Jess locked eyes with her. They reminded him of two pieces of canvas with blue paint. He could picture the artist, mixing every color of blue together to find the most beautiful and enchanting shade ever seen.  
  
J: ''I still care about you.''  
  
Rory pulled her arm free and for a second Jess was afraid that she would run away, but instead she hugged him. She lowered her voice to a soft whisper.  
  
R: ''I still care about you too.''  
  
She pulled away and quickly got up.  
  
R: ''Goodnight Jess.''  
  
Jess nodded and watched her leave, trying to figure out the true meaning of her words. She cared about him..........as a friend or as more ? He reached for another cigarette, but stopped. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and grabbed a mint instead.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) I hope everyone liked this chapter, cause there will be no more Rory/Billy in this story. Not like that anyway. The next chapter is going to be the wedding and you might find out that Billy isn't so perfect as he seems. Thanks again for the reviews!!! :-) 


	11. Heads I win, Tails I lose

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. Except for Billy! All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Hey!!! :-) It's been.......WOW! almost a week since I updated!!! Which is an extremely long time, for me. I'm really sorry, but school started and I have an illogical schedule. And the spare time I had, I spend on working on my new story. Which is going to be a Trory!!! I already have the title and the first chapter, but I still have to write a prologue, so.......I have been busy. Okay, I hope you like this chapter. So, enjoy!!! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
Rory was standing in front of the mirror. She was admiring the blue dress her mom had made especially for the wedding. The blue satin gave it a simple yet elegant look. It had thin spaghetti straps at the shoulders and the skirt fell straight down to her ankles. Rory turned around and ran her hands along her sides. The dress hugged her curves slightly. Rory smiled at her own reflection, thinking that for once she didn't look like a teenage girl. She heard the phone in the living room ring, but didn't make an attempt to answer it. She was too busy treasuring the dress in the mirror.  
  
L: ''Sweets, can you get that !?''  
  
Suddenly the spell, Rory had been under, was broken and she hurried to answer the phone, trying not to wrinkle the dress as she ran. She found the phone and answered it as she dropped herself on the couch.  
  
R: ''Hello ?''  
  
B: ''Hey.''  
  
R: ''Billy, are you in Stars Hollow yet ?''  
  
B: ''Actually......I'm still in my dorm.''  
  
R: ''What's wrong ?''  
  
B: ''I can't come to the wedding today.''  
  
R: ''Why ?''  
  
B: ''Cause my Rachel, my cousin, is here. She just arrived this morning. She's thinking about going to Yale next year and she thought that today would be a good day for me to show her around the campus........................... I'm sorry angel heart.''  
  
R: ''It's okay. It wasn't that important anyway.''  
  
B: ''I promise I'll make it up to you.''  
  
Rory smiled as she thought about how sweet Billy was.  
  
R: ''You don't have to.''  
  
B: ''But I want to. Anyway, I should go. Rachel's giving me one of those looks.''  
  
R: ''Ah, those looks.''  
  
B: ''Yeah, those looks.''  
  
R: ''Dangerous looks, those looks.''  
  
Billy chuckled on the other end of the line.  
  
B: ''I'll talk to you later, okay ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah.''  
  
B: ''And don't forget to get your picture taken, cause I bet you look beautiful.''  
  
R: ''Thanks.''  
  
B: ''Have fun angel heart. Love you.''  
  
R: ''Bye.''  
  
Rory hung up and threw the phone aside. She was still smiling, but she couldn't help to feel disappointed. She had looked forward to going to Dean's wedding with Billy. They would look deep into each other's eyes before they would sit down. And she would have gotten that warm and happy feeling in her stomach like she always got when she was around Billy. But now she wouldn't get those feelings and she wouldn't be able to dance with him. Suddenly she thought about their last date and shivered. Maybe it was a good thing that he couldn't come. What if he would dance with her just like he did at the jazz club ? With all of Stars Hollow watching her, with Jess watching her....... Rory's smile faded into a thin line, because of her frustration towards her own thoughts. Why should she care about people watching them, Billy was her boyfriend after all. Still she knew she wouldn't feel comfortable. Billy's way of dancing was too intimate for her. Rory got up and went into her room to put on her heels and do her hair.  
  
*~*~*  
  
About half an hour later, both Gilmore Girls were heading towards the diner to pick up Luke. Lorelai had annoyed Luke until he agreed to be her date for the wedding. When they entered the diner, Rory sat down at the counter while Lorelai went upstairs to see if Luke was ready. Rory sat alone in the diner, feel more lonely than she ever did. Dean was being taken away from her by Lindsay and Billy was taken away from her by his cousin. Rory sighed as she looked at her hands. She knew she was being selfish. After all she only had platonic feelings for Dean now and she was indeed happy for him. And she wasn't really mad at Billy. Family came first after all. She was going to be the only one there without an escort.  
  
J: ''Hey.''  
  
Rory lifted her head and saw Jess enter the diner, actually wearing a pair of black dress pants and a white blouse.  
  
J: ''You look blue.''  
  
Rory smiled at his comment, but it didn't reach her eyes. Jess noticed and his smirk quickly faded away. He put his hands in his pockets and tried to look casual and uncaring as he made his way over to her.  
  
J: ''What's wrong ?''  
  
Rory shrugged as she studied her fingers. He nodded and sat down next to her.  
  
J: ''Fine, I'll guess. You just discovered that Yale's starting a week later than planned ?''  
  
He looked at Rory, but didn't get any reaction except for a small smile.  
  
J: ''Okay, you just discovered that there are still flavors of coffee out there that you haven't tasted yet ?''  
  
This time Rory's lips curved into a genuine smile, that just added to her attractiveness in his eyes. While she had her eyes lowered he took the opportunity to look at her. He lingered a little longer than he should have. She was beautiful in a modest way. The dress was simple, but the color matched her eyes. He knew this without having to look into her eyes. He had memorized every detail of her face, including the unique and enchanting color of her eyes. Finally Rory spoke.  
  
R: ''Billy couldn't make it.''  
  
Jess nodded, not knowing what to say. He didn't like Billy, but then again he wouldn't like any guy Rory was dating. It was just so surreal in his eyes. One minute they were perfectly happy together and the next, he had to leave and screw things up. He just wanted to see what his dad was like and if they had anything in common. At that moment he thought not telling Rory was the right thing, but now he regretted it. He didn't regret hitting Dean, but he did regret not saying goodbye. Maybe all this wouldn't have happened if he had just said that simple and hurtful word, that held so many consequences.  
  
R: ''Which isn't such a big deal, I know. It's just that it's a wedding and you're supposed to go to them with an escort.''  
  
J: ''Is that an unwritten rule of some sort ?''  
  
R: ''Who am I going to dance with now ?''  
  
J: ''Lane ?''  
  
Rory shot him a look and lowered her eyes again. Jess sighed and ran one hand through his hair.  
  
J: ''Rory, do you want to go to the wedding with me ?''  
  
Immediately Rory's head shot up and she found his eyes with hers.  
  
R: ''Really ?''  
  
Jess nodded. He had planned to go to the wedding anyway. Just to catch a glimpse of Rory. All of a sudden a grin lit up Rory's face and caressed her features.  
  
R: ''Thank you.''  
  
Jess nodded, reminding himself that she was only going with him, because 'her boyfriend' couldn't make it. But right now, he would take anything he could get. And her company was worth everything.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When the two Gilmore Girls and their 'escorts' reached the Stars Hollow Church, the wedding was about to start. Almost every seat was taken so they were forced to sit in the back. Dean, his best men and the priest were already standing in the front, waiting for the big event. Rory took these couple of minutes to examine the church. There were flowers everywhere, in the gorgeous colors light yellow, orange and white. Nothing fancy, but it definitely gave you a specific feeling.  
  
Suddenly violin music started to play and the doors at the end of the church opened. Rory turned around and smiled as Lindsay's bridesmaids made their way down the aisle. They were dressed in simple, white dresses and their hair was decorated with yellow and white flowers. Everything matched. Then, Lindsay came through the doors, wearing the most beautiful dress Rory had ever seen. It was the same dress as the ones the bridesmaids wore, except for the fact that hers had a silver glow and her hair was decorated with only white flowers, just like the bouquet she was holding. Finally she reached the end of the aisle and Rory carefully listened to the priest as he started to talk.  
  
Rory noticed Dean's fidgeting, but blamed it on his nerves. Suddenly Dean took a step back and cleared his throat. Again, Rory didn't think much off it. It was his wedding day after all. But that all changed when Dean turned around and met her eyes.  
  
L: ''What is he doing ?''  
  
The priest stopped talking and coughed, trying to get Dean's attention. Lindsay nervously scanned the crowd before she looked at Dean again. She whispered something to him and he turned around and looked at her.  
  
D: ''I'm sorry Lindsay.''  
  
Lindsay: ''Sorry ?''  
  
D: ''Yes, I'm sorry for lying to you all this time.''  
  
Lindsay : ''What are you talking about ? Dean, it's our wedding.''  
  
Dean shook his head.  
  
D: ''No, I can't marry you.''  
  
Lindsay :''What ?''  
  
Lindsay gasped and looked at Dean with hurt in her eyes. Dean took a deep breath.  
  
D: ''I lied to you. I don't love you. I can't, I'm still in love with someone else.''  
  
He turned around, pretending that Lindsay's tears didn't affect him and looked at Rory.  
  
D: ''I'm still in love with Rory.''  
  
Rory gasped and the entire room fell silent, the only sound being Lindsay's sobs. Rory was aware of everyone's eyes on her, but didn't care. All she cared about was Lindsay's sobbing. How could Dean do this to Lindsay ? How could he do this to her ? It had been hard to get over Dean, harder than she thought and now he practically used Lindsay. Rory shook her head and got up. All of Lindsay's preparation for this wedding............. This should have been the most amazing day of her life and it was ruined by him.  
  
R: ''You're a jerk.''  
  
Then she turned around and left the church, leaving behind the biggest chaos Stars Hollow had ever seen. Lindsay's parents were trying to calm her down while Lorelai tried to keep everyone from running over to Lindsay. Meanwhile Dean got the chance to sneak out of the church, with no one noticing except for Jess and Luke. Luke wanted to follow him, but Jess kept him from doing that.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory was halfway home, when suddenly she felt someone grip her arm and pull her back.  
  
D: ''Rory........''  
  
Rory quickly turned around and pulled her arm free.  
  
D: ''We have to talk.''  
  
R: ''No, we have to do nothing. I can't believe you just did that ! Do you know how much you just hurt Lindsay ?!''  
  
Dean nodded.  
  
D: ''I know, but I couldn't marry her. Not when I'm still in love with you.''  
  
Rory nodded and took a step back.  
  
R: ''Well, the feeling isn't mutual.''  
  
She wanted to turn around, but again Dean grabbed her by her arm.  
  
D: ''You mean, that what just happened back there was worth nothing ?''  
  
R: ''Not nothing. Cause now I realize that you are an even bigger jerk than I thought you were.''  
  
D: ''Rory.''  
  
R: ''Let go.........please.''  
  
Dean desperately searched her eyes, trying to find a hint of passion or love, but when he found nothing he let her go and watched her walk away. He sighed and started to head back to the church, preparing himself for what was about to come.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Rory went straight home and dropped herself on her bed, trying to process what just happened. It didn't take her long to make a decision. And when she did, she immediately started to pack her stuff. After that she changed and left her mom a note. And with that she left for the bus stop, not looking back.  
  
*~*~*  
  
When he found that she wasn't home, he thought that he would find her at the bridge, but to his surprise she wasn't there. So with his hands buried deep in his pockets, he started to head back to the diner. On his way there, he passed the bus stop and that was when he saw her. She was sitting on a bench, knees pulled up and a bag next to her. Jess silently walked up to her and sat down on the same bench, not saying a thing. All he did was look at her. She had changed into a pair of faded flares, old sneakers and a Yale sweatshirt. He noticed how different she looked in the dress earlier. She was still beautiful, but now it seemed as if she didn't care. And right now, that was probably the last thing on her mind. He could only imagine what was going through her mind. Suddenly he felt guilty about thinking that she had an easy life. Her problems mostly lay underneath the surface, where no one would look for them, including him.  
  
R: ''I'm going back to Yale.''  
  
Rory took a few seconds before she continued.  
  
R: ''I'm spending the rest of my vacation there.''  
  
Finally Rory lifted her head and glanced in his direction.  
  
R: ''Say something.''  
  
J: ''Huh ?''  
  
R: ''Jess.''  
  
Jess sighed and met her eyes.  
  
J: ''What do you want me to say Rory ?''  
  
Rory lowered her eyes and fixed them on his legs.  
  
R: ''Tell me how big of a jerk Dean is or how naive I was for not noticing that he still had feelings for me. He's such a jerk. He doesn't even deserve Lindsay.''  
  
Jess nodded, quietly agreeing with her as he watched her bus arrive. Rory looked at him once more and smiled before she got up and grabbed her bag.  
  
J: ''Don't run.''  
  
Rory quickly looked at him.  
  
R: ''I'm not running. Why do you always assume..........?''  
  
J: ''Cause that's exactly what you're doing.''  
  
Jess got up to and walked up to her until they were standing face to face.  
  
J: ''Dean's here and you don't want to face him so...........''  
  
Rory's eyes filled with tears as she looked at him.  
  
R: ''I already faced him. I told him he was a jerk and that I didn't like him in that way okay ?! I am not running. I just want to go back to Yale and talk to............Billy !''  
  
Jess nodded and took a step back.  
  
J: ''Okay, I'm sorry. Have a safe trip.''  
  
He nodded before he turned around and started to walk away. Rory bit her lip and got on the bus. She sat down. She couldn't believe Jess thought she was running. What did he want ? She already faced Dean and told him how she felt about all this.  
  
Jess heard the bus drive off, but didn't turn around. She had made her decision. She was going back to Yale.........back to Billy.  
  
*R*EV*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) Thanks again for all your amazing reviews!!! It's great to read them after an hectic day at school. So, thanks!!! :-) I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner than this one. The same goes for my new story. 


	12. Somewhere between platonic and sexual

*Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the characters. I do, however, own Billy and his 'cousin' Rachel. ;-) All I own is my imagination and the plot.  
  
*A/N: Read the A/N at the bottom!!! Please ?! :-)  
  
*~*~*:-)*~*~*Bye, smile :-)  
  
As Rory was making her way, over Yale's campus, to her dorm, an impervious feeling came over her. The thoughts, that had been flowing through her mind ever since she left Stars Hollow, slowed down and seemed to disappear. Yale had become a certain kind of sanctuary to her. She always felt safe on this campus, even at night. And she also liked the way no one really knew each other here. The classes were filled with people she didn't know and she was nothing more than one of those faces to her teachers.  
  
Rory reached the building, where her dorm was located, and went inside. Normally it was filled with life. Different kinds of music could be heard, voices of people shouting to turn it down and of course those infamous boys, that roamed the corridors, looking for some fun at the cost of others. But she even got used to that. And Yale didn't seem Yale without all these nonessential and inadequate things. Luckily for her, Billy wasn't one of those guys.  
  
As soon as she had reached her room, she dropped her bag on her bed and stopped in front of a mirror before she would head over to Billy's room. She smiled at her reflection, her thoughts seeming to be looked in a soundproof room. She ran her hand through her hair and left her room. Fortuitously for her, Billy had decided not to spend his entire summer break with his mother or friends. He didn't like to have someone take care of him and that included his mother. Sure he loved her, but he wanted to be independent and not rely on others. That was an issue they had to get used to when they started to go out. Rory on the other hand, had been raised in a small town where everyone depended on each other. But they had accepted that about each other. They had accepted that they were two different people, but that was a good thing. Cause where Rory lacked in independence, Billy didn't. They completed each other in a way.  
  
Rory made her way over to Billy's room, Jess subconsciously pushed to a forgotten corner of her mind. It was like your childhood stuff. You knew that it was there, hidden in the attic, but it was never in your way. Rory reached the door and wanted to knock, but decided not to. He wouldn't hear her anyway over his music. So instead she opened the door and took a step into the room, preparing for Billy's famous smile, but that wasn't exactly what she got. She couldn't even see his face, but she could hear his voice. Apparently he was near ecstasy. She had been standing there for almost ten seconds and still he hadn't acknowledged her. The redhead on top of him, was blocking his view of the door. Rory's gaze fell on the way their hips were rocking and took a step back. This hadn't been what she was expecting. Tears were threatening to fall so she quickly and quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
She rested her back against the wall and slid down, until she was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. Now that she was aware of what was going on in Billy's room, the music wasn't loud enough. She could hear their moans of pleasure through the music and covered her ears. It hurt, because she had just witnessed her boyfriend with another girl. Her boyfriend, who told her that he loved her. Her boyfriend, who told her that he would wait until she was ready. Rory wanted to cry, but she didn't. She wouldn't let herself cry over the jerk. Instead she just kept her ears covered and waited......  
  
......After an acceptable amount of time, the music stopped. Rory removed her hands from her ears and listened to Billy's kind voice as he said something to the redhead. Rory couldn't understand what he was saying and she had a feeling that it was probably for the best. Short after the voices had stopped talking, the door opened and the redhead stepped into the corridor. Rory looked at her, trying to see what had caught Billy's attention. The girl had a fair skin and wild, red curls. The girls smiled at something Billy said. Rory cringed as she saw how beautiful the girl looked. The girl kissed Billy on the cheek and then left with another one of those bewitching smiles. Billy followed her with his eyes until she was around the corner and reached for the door, but stopped when he noticed Rory.  
  
B: ''Rory.''  
  
Rory looked up at him, her blue orbs chilling him to the bone. Rory forced herself to smile at him.  
  
R: ''Hey.''  
  
Billy ran his hand through his hair, wondering if she had heard them. He knew that Rachel wasn't one of the most quiet types.  
  
B: ''What are you doing here ? I thought you had to go to Dean's wedding ?''  
  
R: ''Yeah, I did. But it didn't exactly turn out to be one of those fairy tale weddings.''  
  
B: ''What happened ?''  
  
When Billy kneeled down in front of her and looked in to her eyes, everything was alright for a minute. It was almost as if what Rory had just witnessed, was nothing but a mirage. And she would have believed it, if it wasn't for Billy's bare chest and messed up hair. Rory lowered her eyes for a minute and bitterly smiled.  
  
R: ''I just saw my boyfriend having sex with a girl.........that wasn't me.''  
  
She could hear Billy curse and looked up at him, to see if her words had affected him. For minute there was a worried look in his eyes, but it was gone within the second. His face remained neutral and uncaring. Rory nodded.  
  
R: ''I love you too.''  
  
Rory gently pushed Billy away from her and got up in one abrupt movement. She was about to head back to her dorm, but Billy quickly moved in front of her and blocked her with his body.  
  
B: ''Rory..........''  
  
Rory took a step back, but Billy just took a step forwards, not giving her a chance to run. Suddenly she thought of Jess' words. He told her not to run and she said that she wasn't running. But she was. He had been right. She was running from him, Dean. Running from them to Billy and now she was about to run from Billy. She looked at Billy.  
  
B: ''Let me explain.........''  
  
Rory's eyes started to flicker with anger.  
  
R: ''There's nothing to explain. I thought you loved me and............''  
  
B: ''I do, I do.''  
  
Billy took a hold of her hand and laced his fingers with hers.  
  
R: ''Then why did you go behind my back and had sex with another girl ?''  
  
Billy didn't answer her and Rory got fed up with waiting. She couldn't wait anymore. She pulled her hand free and started to walk away from Billy. But all of a sudden he stopped her.  
  
B: ''Cause I didn't want to wait for you anymore.''  
  
Rory turned around and looked at him, biting her lip so she wouldn't cry. He didn't deserve her tears. Billy walked up to her, confidant.  
  
B: ''I know I said that I would wait until you were ready, but I have needs.''  
  
R: ''And since I couldn't satisfy them, you went to someone else ?''  
  
B: ''I swear, I felt nothing for her. It was only sexual.''  
  
R: ''Then I suggest you make it more than sexual.''  
  
Rory met his eyes and saw the pleading look in it.  
  
B: ''Angel heart, please.''  
  
R: ''It's Rory.''  
  
And with those being the last words they would ever say to each other, she left and went back to her room. She took her bag and silently left Yale's campus. There weren't enough people around to feel comfortable. She couldn't hide among the crowd this time, she wasn't just one of the many faces right now.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The sky had turned an exhilarant shade of pink by the time Rory reached Stars Hollow. Once again, she found herself walking the familiar path to her house. As soon as she opened the door, her mom had her arms around her. Rory smiled and hugged her mom back, as she dropped her bag on the floor. Lorelai let go of Rory and looked at her with a worried expression.  
  
L: ''What happened ? The note said that you were spending the rest of your vacation at Yale. Which is strange, I mean since when does a note talk ?''  
  
R: ''Well, the note gave you the wrong information.''  
  
L: ''It isn't the note's fault. You wrote it.''  
  
R: ''Right. Well, I changed my mind.''  
  
L: ''Why ? What happened ?''  
  
R: ''I went to see Billy and I..............''  
  
L: ''Discovered that he was gay ?''  
  
R: ''No, that would have been better though.''  
  
L: ''Ror, what happened ?''  
  
R: ''I saw him.........having sex with someone else.''  
  
L: ''Oh.................A guy ?''  
  
R: ''I wish. It was a gorgeous girl.''  
  
L: ''I'm so sorry sweets. I never thought he would..............''  
  
R: ''I know.''  
  
Lorelai hugged Rory again.  
  
L: ''How do you feel ?''  
  
Rory shot her a look. And Lorelai raised her hands, gesturing that she was sorry.  
  
L: ''Stupid question. Bad mouth.''  
  
Rory smiled.  
  
R: ''I'm going for a walk. Is it okay if we talk about this later ?''  
  
L: ''Of course. This way, I'll have some time to come up with a clean way to kill Billy.''  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and smiled, though she still felt like crying. She grabbed her coat and left the house, before her mom could see the hidden emotions in her eyes. She still wouldn't let herself cry over Billy. Those would only be wasted tears. Rory found herself automatically stopping at the bridge. She searched the bridge for him and found him sitting near the end. He was still vaguely visible in the fading day light, but he would soon be hidden by the darkness that suited him so well. She slowly walked over him, glad that he was here and sat down next to him.  
  
The air between them was less tense than she had imagined, but there still hung something unfamiliar between them. And it had been there ever since they had seen each other again. Maybe it was regret that they were feeling. But she knew that it was something more, it had to be. For her it was, though she had tried to ignore it. She still cared about Jess. He could still make her smile with one of his sarcastic remarks and he could make her wake up with a warm feeling inside, just because she knew he would be there when she would go to Luke's. And wasn't that what real love was all about ? The little things that made it special and worthwhile ?  
  
R: ''You were right. I was running, but I found myself running back here.''  
  
Rory looked at Jess, but he didn't even glance at her. He just kept looking straight forwards. Rory sighed.  
  
R: ''You wanna know why I came back ?''  
  
Rory didn't get any answer, but then again she hadn't really expected that.  
  
R: ''I went back there to talk to Billy, but then I got there he was too.........preoccupied. He........he was.................too busy having sex with someone else to notice me.''  
  
The first tear finally fell, but Rory quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.  
  
R: ''And he even told me why........he did that ? Basically he was fed up waiting for me. He could have told me, but instead he just kept telling me that he would wait and...........he didn't.''  
  
Rory's voice broke and tears started to fall from both her eyes, rolling down her cheeks, like waterfalls rolled down rock.  
  
Jess heard her cries and looked at her. Rory met his eyes for a second.  
  
R: ''I always screw up every relationship. With Dean, Billy.............you.''  
  
J: ''All of those, are not your fault.''  
  
Rory kept on crying, so Jess put his arm around her and let her cry against his jacket. Her cries turned into sobs and finally she looked up at him.  
  
R: ''And all this time you were right here and I didn't see it.''  
  
J: ''So, I'm guessing you opened your eyes ?''  
  
Rory smiled at him and gently kissed him. Jess was taken by surprise and wanted to kiss her back, but didn't. Instead he pulled her closer and enjoyed the feel of them being together again. Cause once again, they had found each other.  
  
*R*E*V*I*E*W*! Please ? :-) And that's a wrap!!! :-) I hope you liked this very dramatic chapter. I know, it might not seem like an ending, but it is. This is the very LAST chapter!!! Thanks to all of you for your support!!! I really appreciated it. I'll be back with another Literati asap, but until then you can check out my *first* Trory. It's called 'Truthful Web of Lies' and it is Jess friendly. Thanks!!! :-) 


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